Tekken Tournament 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash
by M.M.Richter-XIII
Summary: The sixth King of the Iron Fist Tournament as I imagine it. fighting, some romance, some tragedy, some suspense. Not a really good summary, but please R&R.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **_One, I don't own Tekken, of course. Second, this prologue is just to set up canon that isn't in the game. Please Rant, Rave, and Review!!_

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash

Prologue

_**Asuka Kazama **_

"_No. Not fighting seriously is disrespectful."_

These were the last words Asuka heard Feng Wei, the mysterious Chinese man, say before she fell unconscious, her run in the 5th Iron Fist tournament now decisively over. Asuka had done well for her first time in a tournament, advancing through two rounds even defeating a blond-haired French girl, but, even though she wanted it, she ended facing the Chinese man who attacked her father. In the very beginning, Asuka held her own, even winning the first round, but, thinking him to be easy pickings, she let up on the pressure, and he made her pay for it. Feng Wei went on to fiercely beat her in the second round, and viciously defeated her in the third round; she didn't even touch him in the last round. Lying on the ground, her body racked with unreal pain, Asuka saw him stand over her, and heard him laugh to himself as he called her, "Pathetic." He didn't even look tired, Asuka thought.

"_How could I lose? How could I lose so badly? How could I … disgrace my father, my whole family like this?"_ These questions keep repeating through Asuka's mind as she returns to her native Osaka, her ego shattered and her confidence crushed. Seeing her coming toward the house, her father greets her with a hug, causing her to wince and groan with pain. He then notices the bandages on her arm, the therapy patch on the back of her neck, and the heavy wrapping around her ribs, and quickly releases her.

"My daughter, how are you? How bad are your injuries," asks the older man, and she tells him what the tournament medics told her: she had a muscle strain in her neck, a bruised femur in her right arm, and several cracked ribs which she got from the man's last attack (_Feng Wei's __**Avalanche **__throw)_. The elder Kazama just smiles at his daughter and says, "Well, all wounds heal with time."

Asuka, not even able to look her father in the face, only mutters, "Maybe; I'm not so sure," before entering their home.

Later, her father talks to her about her loss. "I saw your fight with that man, and I also saw what you did wrong. It's nothing that can't be addressed. I'm sure you will be victorious next time."

Asuka, much to her father's surprise, quietly responds, "I'm not so sure there'll be a next time."

Completely taken aback, the elder Kazama asks in confusion, "What? You're thinking of quitting?"

Asuka drops her head in shame as she replies, "I was considering it. Dad, the only reason I entered the tournament was to defeat that man, but, when I finally faced him, he defeated me. Not only that, he didn't just defeat me; he destroyed me. I didn't even touch him in the last round. I thought I could defeat him, but I just ended up disgracing myself and you."

The elder Kazama shakes his head in seeming disappointment, and says, "No. My daughter, the only way you would disgrace me is if you do quit fighting because of this."

A single tear forms in Asuka's black left eye and rolls down her cheek, but the elder Kazama quickly wipes it away, causing his daughter to look him in the face. He then continues, "You know, it may be best that you lost the fight. I've noticed your arrogance for a while now, but neglected to confront you on it. It's the reason you lost that fight so emphatically. But now you have a real test on whether you are a true fighter. You see, now you must prove that, instead of just throwing punches, you can recover from them, learn from them, and come back stronger, wiser, and better from them."

Asuka understands but is still unsure about what her father has said_; "Can I? Can I learn from my mistakes,"_ she thought to herself.

Sensing her uneasiness and uncertainty, the elder Kazama begins to use something he never had to before. "Did I ever tell you about my sister, your aunt," asked the older man, causing Asuka to look at him with curious confusion. Asuka had never known her mother, so, as she shook her head to display her lack of knowledge, she wonders why her father would bring up her aunt instead of her mother. The elder Kazama then brings out a number of mementos as he tells his daughter of her aunt, the 'Kazama's Chosen One', his older sister, Jun. He tells her about Jun's kindness, her care for others, her fighting prowess and how, even in defeat, she made the name Kazama proud. Asuka, although she wonders why her father barely mentioned her aunt before, is nonetheless inspired by her father's account, the sincerity in his voice, and the many mementos her father showed her, and thus begins to train harder than before in anticipation for the next tournament. Then, the invitation for the next tournament arrives…

_**Ling Xiaoyu **_

Ling lands hard on the ground from a stiff kick; as the announcer voices the judgment, her run in the fifth Iron Fist tournament is over. Ling slowly sits up and looks at the African-American ninja that defeated her, and says, "You're really strong, Raven," the name the announcer called him by.

Raven only turns his back to her, and asks in a serious tone, "Tell me. Why are you in this tournament? Why do you fight?"

Not one to bite her tongue when someone asks her something, Ling quickly answers, "I'm fighting to find my friend, Jin Kazama, and to save the Mishima family."

Raven scoffs at her response, and coldly says, "Then, you're lucky I'm the one that defeated you, as I have no reason to kill you."

Ling is greatly confused by this comment, and asks, "What? What do you mean?"

Raven, who still doesn't turn around, coldly replies, "If you were to face any of those three people you just mentioned you wanted to 'save', you would probably be killed."

Shocked, Ling is speechless as Raven continues, "Give up your little quest and go home. It's obvious by how you fought today that you don't take the goal seriously enough to achieve it."

Still shocked but now offended, Ling, in a desperate attempt to defend herself, retorts, "But I can't just give up especially not on Jin. If anyone can still be saved, it's him."

Raven again scoffs, and comments, "Your naivety and innocence are amusing, but will probably lead to your own demise."

Ling, again trying to defend herself but obviously upset by the man's comments and cold demeanor, says, "But I have to save them, especially Jin. I believe he can change; I know he can change, and he just needs someone to help him."

Raven finally looks back at the girl, sensing the unrest and conviction in her voice, and asks, "You're really that set on this?" Ling quickly nods her head as she lifts herself to her knees, wondering what the man would say next. Raven is silent for a moment, but folds his arms across his chest and turns so that he is only looking over his shoulder at her. He then says, "I still don't advise it, but, if you were to try to save them, you would have to give up everything to do so; you must grow up, little girl. You would have to abandon all your petty hopes and dreams, surrender every vision of the future you planned for yourself, and renounce all fear within you. Then, you must struggle to become stronger than you have ever been, and do whatever it takes to achieve you goal. But, after all that, you still may not give the Mishimas and Jin Kazama the salvation you wish for them." Ling just sat in silence as she absorbed everything the man had said, and Raven, now knowing that he'd said enough, unfolds his arms and turns his back to her once more as he says, "Think about what I said. Be sure to make the right decision," With that, Raven jumps high into the air, and disappears, leaving Ling alone where she sat.

Ling returns home and begins to heavily consider everything Raven said because deep down she knows he was right; she realizes that she would have to give up everything if she wanted to do what she said she would, and eventually decides to do everything in her power to save the Mishimas and Jin. With the decision set, Ling goes to her 'grandfather' Wang Jinrei, and begins to train in anticipation for the next tournament. Meanwhile, she also follows the news, and notices Jin's slow yet evident descent into evil. Several times, she tries to reach Jin, but, because recent military action, she is turned back every time, and simply returns to her training. With added intensity and fervor, Ling trains furiously in order to make herself strong enough to help Jin. Then, the invitation for the sixth King of the Iron Fist tournament arrives…

_**Let's get ready for the next battle**_

The time was set and was now here. Every challenger was now inside a secret Mishima Zaibatsu stronghold, the base for the upcoming competition. The tournament was underway. Deep within the compound, the sponsor of the tournament along with his bodyguards watched every fighter from the comfort of his control room.

"_They fall in line, one at a time, ready to play."_

Eddy, surprised by the comment, looked at his fellow body guard Nina, who simply shrugged. Then, he turned his attention to the man who said the comment and hesitantly asked, "Waxing poetic, sir?"

Jin Kazama, in full combat attire, simply replied, without turning around, "No, just a song I heard; It seemed appropriate. I forget who made it though; 'something Benjamin' I think. Anyway, you two better get dressed. The tournament proper is about to start."

In the main gathering room, Kazuya looked over the competition with an evil smirk on his face; "They have no idea what's in store for them, do they," he thought to himself. Then, his eyes caught a sight that made him freeze and tense up inside. There she was standing across the room, with her back to him. Her physical build, her brown hair, the white ribbon adorning her head, the strong spiritual aura coming off of her, Kazuya remembered it all. Then, she turned around and revealed that while she did have a distinct resemblance to _her_, this young woman was not her. Kazuya finally relaxed and made a mental note, "That girl could be trouble … especially if she gets involved." Asuka, wearing one of her aunt's ribbons in her own hair as a memento, scanned the room. She had noticed the Chinese man Feng Wei enter the building, but she didn't see him in the room. Still, she noticed the new fighters including a rather large American man and scruffy looking Spanish man. She even noticed the French blonde that she'd defeated the last time, Lili, sitting rather close to the orange-haired Tae Kwon Do master. Ling had been one of the first to enter the room, and watched almost everyone entered. Eagerly, she waited to at least see Jin, but he never showed. She did see his two bodyguards enter the room, but he was nowhere to be found. Ling smiled a little when she saw 'old man Heihachi' enter the room, and slowly began to look around at the other fighters. She noticed a new young 'man' with blonde hair and blue eyes that she thought looked 'pretty' for some reason, and noticed the kind Chinese police officer and the ninja in the funny-looking who helped her in the fourth tournament. She even noticed Hwoarang sitting really close to a young blonde girl. Then, Ling's eyes caught sight of a young woman with a white ribbon in her hair that she thought looked just like …

Just then, the large video screen in the front of the room came on, and a female voice over the stereo system filled the room, saying, "Welcome, participants," causing all the competitors in the room to snap their attention to the screen. As every competitor's profile flashed across the screen, the voice continued, "First, allow me to congratulate you on getting this far. Your mere presence speaks to your ability, and says that you are among the top fighters in the world. However, in spite of whatever accolades you have claimed, you all start at the bottom in this tournament. You all will be pushed beyond your limits in your collective quest to be named the tournament champion." As the last fighter profile disappeared from the screen, every fighter's name appeared on the screen simultaneously, shuffled on-screen, and then aligned on one side of the screen in the bracket form. The voice then continued, "This is the official tournament bracket. Study it carefully as it will determine your fate in this competition. Plan ahead for what you expect, but be sure to not overlook your current adversary." The competitors looked around as the voice paused, and they simultaneously studied the bracket and each other. The screen began to show different venues across as the voice continued, "Be sure to rest tonight as you will all be transported to your respective fighting arenas first thing in the morning." Finally, the screen changed for the last time into the tournament logo and the Mishima Zaibatsu logo as the voice finished, "Fight hard, and fight to your best abilities. Finally, welcome to the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6!"

End Chapter

**NEXT TIME:** _"So, once again, it's father against son."_

"_Yes, only this time, the son has truly surpassed the father."_

song lyrics from Breaking Benjamin's "Blow me Away" from the Halo 2 Soundtrack

**A/N**: please R and again Rave, Rant, and Review!


	2. Bonus: Leo's popularity

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own Tekken

_**A/N**_: **As you probably read, this is a bonus chapter. I know bonuses normally come at the end, but this one would be awkward at the end of the story. Anyway, this chapter focuses on the progression of Leo Kliesen, and, for those who don't know, ****she**** is one of the new characters set to debut in Tekken 6. Out of the four new challengers, Leo is my favorite, and I just wanted to write something centers around her. I must warn you: I played on her androgyny, so there's a brief 'Yuri' moment although it is unintentional (story-wise). The first part is some of her official bio, which is property of **_**Namco Bandai**_**, although I took some liberties with it.**

The King of the Iron Fist 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash

Bonus Chapter Leo's unexpected popularity

Leo (pronounced Lay-Oh) Kliesen was a young woman from Germany who had become an orphan because of the murders of her parents. After the police refused to investigate the crimes very far, Leo decided to investigate the murders herself. Over time, she came to find out that the murderer was most likely Kazuya Mishima, the head of G Corporation, and immediately she started to seek revenge on him. However, because of his newly-acquired status as a hero within the company and because of the company's recent push toward militarization, Leo found it near impossible to do so. Then, The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 was announced, and, after finding out that Kazuya would be participating, Leo quickly entered as well, thinking this might be her only chance for revenge.

During her investigation, Leo figured that Kazuya and his bodyguards, Anna Williams and Bruce Irvin, would obviously be targeting Jin Kazama, the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu; however, she also found out that Jin had bodyguards of his own, Nina Williams and Eddy Gordo. This meant that, when the time came, she would probably have to go through at least two people before getting to Kazuya, but that also meant that there would probably be a showdown between those six, making the chance of Leo actually encountering Kazuya rather slim. Because the Mishima Zaibatsu was sponsoring the tournament, Leo figured that that was how the bracket would fall, but fortunately, there was an odd quirk in the placement: Instead of an immediate showdown, one of the body guards was on a different side of the bracket than the others. So, after all of the parties involved including Leo won their first round matches, the second round fell in into place with Eddy Gordo facing Christie Monteiro, and Bruce Irvin going against Nina Williams, which pitted Leo against…

_**Anna Williams**_

Arriving in an area named 'City After Dark', Leo was taken and dropped off in a small corner of a city that was lit by the light of the surrounding buildings and the nearby subway. The corner itself was overlooked by a large billboard that had the word 'Tiger' on it in bright, glowing letters, and above that the name 'Setsuka' was written. Somehow, Leo felt the name was familiar, but she couldn't exactly say why. In any case, as she slowly entered the 

stage, Leo saw Anna, wearing her trademark Japanese-style Red Silk Dress, standing at the opposite end of the stage with her back turned, and quickly approached her.

Anna couldn't believe her luck. She had ended up on the side of the bracket opposite to Nina, and the same side as Kazuya, meaning that if she wanted a rematch with Nina, she would have to win all her matches including the one she would probably have with Kazuya. On top of that, there was no guarantee Nina was going win all of her matches either. For Anna, this seemed like a total bust, and, with a rematch against Nina very unlikely now, she figured her only reason for staying in the tournament now was to make sure Kazuya got to the final round. Just as she was running the whole scenario through her head again, Anna heard someone coming up behind her.

"_Anna Williams, Leo Kliesen, Get ready for the next battle,_" the announcer's voice boomed over the area speakers as the tournament helicopter could be heard flying overheard past the arena.

Hearing the name of her next opponent and hearing that person stop approaching, Anna let out a disappointed sigh at the newcomer and slowly turned to face the person, but, not expecting much, was surprised upon seeing Leo. Observing this (what she perceived to be) young man with golden hair and Steel Blue eyes, Anna actually found 'him' cute; a bit young-looking but cute.

Not noticing Anna observing her closely, Leo asked, "You're one of Kazuya Mishima's bodyguards, right?"

Anna was interested in this young 'man', but 'his' question slightly puzzled her. In any case, 'he' was still an opponent, and Anna didn't know much about this new fighter. So, half out of interest and half wanting to gauge Leo, Anna decided to test 'him' and began to flirt.

"Maybe; why would such an attractive person like you want to know," Anna replied suggestively with a slight air of seduction.

Leo did not expect that kind of answer. Definitely sensing the suggestion, Leo paused for a moment, completely confused and slightly unnerved by Anna's reply. Anna easily noticed Leo's reaction to her comment, and decided to turn up the charm in an attempt to further distract Leo.

Eventually, Leo shook off her reaction, and replied, "Actually, I have a score to settle with your boss…"

Anna, turning the pressure up, interrupted, "And you want me to step aside, right? Or you'll do what?" Anna's tone then turned seductive as she continued, "Are you going to hurt me?"

Just as Anna said that, she gave Leo a wink. Leo was completely taken aback by this gesture; she hadn't expected it at all. Not even sure how to respond, Leo was completely speechless, and any attempt to speak again failed her. Happy with the effects of her speech, Anna chuckled quietly and started to say something when the tournament helicopter could be heard flying back toward the area.

"Hold that thought; we'll talk more in a minute," Anna said as she flashed Leo a sly grin.

Anna then assumed her fighting stance. Leo, still shocked over Anna's actions, realized that the conversation would cease for the moment as she recognized the sound of the tournament helicopter approaching, and assumed her fighting stance as well. Just then, the helicopter flew over the area with its spotlight focusing on the two fighters.

"_Round 1! Fight!_" the announcer's voice boomed over the area speakers.

With that, the helicopter sped away, and the fight began. Leo, still shaken from earlier, couldn't seem to find her fighting rhythm as she found herself making some rather simple mistakes such as mistiming her juggles and whiffing some of her power moves. Anna's exploits didn't help much either. Throughout the round, Anna toyed with Leo in attempt to further throw Leo of 'his' game even going as far as angling some of her kicks to buckle some of Leo's vest. With that and her earlier comments having the desired effect, Anna could tell Leo's focus was off, and, not one to pass up an opportunity, she quickly took advantage. Eventually, Anna got Leo into a position, and, just as Leo was coming closer, hit Leo with a 'Hunting Swan' unblockable attack, causing Leo to crumble to the ground with a pained cry.

"_Anna Williams wins,_" the announcer's voice boomed through the area speakers.

Leo knew she hadn't fought very well as she struggled to her feet, and tried to pull herself together. She didn't notice Anna approaching her, and stopped at her knees when she looked up to see Anna standing right in front of her. Really turning it up, Anna knelt so that she was eye level to Leo, and began to brush the back of her hand against Leo's cheek.

"You know it's really cute when you cry in pain like that," Anna said seductively.

Slowly, Leo felt blood rush to her face and felt her face get warm; she was starting to blush as Anna continued the gesture. Still not sure what was happening but making sure it stopped, Leo quickly swatted Anna's hand away. Slightly surprised but intrigued by Leo's panicked reaction, Anna jumped back a good distance, allowing Leo to get up, Leo quickly jumped to her feet, and both reassumed their fighting stances.

"_Round 2! Fight!" _the announcer's voice boomed over the area speakers.

In the first part of the round, Anna continued to have the upper hand and, for a time, looked as if she would sweep Leo right out of the tournament. On the defensive and feeling her fight with Kazuya slowly slipping away, Leo resolved to not let her mother down so easily, and came roaring back into the match. With her focus back, Leo found her offensive pulse as she strung several impressive moves together, surprising Anna and putting her off balance. Finally, Leo showed she was truly back in the fight by defeating with Anna with an impressive 7-hit juggle.

"_Leo wins,_" the announcer's voice boomed over the area speakers.

Anna was impressed with Leo's renewed fervor, and, as she rose to her feet, said, "Wow, you're pretty strong. So you're not just a pretty pushover; I like that."

Leo was slightly taken aback by this comment, figuring that the intensity of the fight would stop the banter and being surprised when it didn't. As such as, Leo again started to become anxious once more, but also found herself slightly irritated with Anna's advances. Quickly running through the fight in her mind, Leo figured that Anna probably noticed her anxiety, and thus Leo tried to keep her emotions from showing too much.

"Please, let's just finish this," Leo said as coldly as she could manage, and as she maintained her fighting stance.

Anna only smiled slyly as she reassumed her fighting stance.

"_Final Round! Fight!_" then announcer's voice blasted over the area speakers.

For most of the round, Leo and Anna were dead even, trading blows of equal damage throughout. Finally, as the match came down to the wire with both nearing their limits, both fighters began to trade reversals and 

counters in attempt to catch the other off guard. After a string of quick, successive reversals, Anna decided to take Leo out of 'his' game by commenting on how the two looked, constantly reversing each other.

"And you're a good dancer too. My, aren't you a catch," Anna said as Leo reversed one of her strikes.

Caught off guard, Leo briefly stopped attacking, and replied in irritation, "Would you knock it off?!"

Leo's brief lapse of judgment allowed Anna to connect with a 'clean' Blonde Bomb attack, which sent Leo tumbling backward end over end. The force and accuracy of the attack also managed unbuckle the last of Leo's vest, an action that neither fighter noticed until later. Leo, not defeated yet, managed to roll through, but she didn't notice Anna running right toward her. Before Leo could react, Anna reached Leo, tackled Leo to the ground, and sat on Leo's gut in a mounted position. Not expecting the attack, Leo accidently hit the back of her head on the pavement, leaving her temporarily defenseless as she tried to bring herself back to attention.

Anna started to attack but stopped when she had a realization. From what she'd seen throughout the match and noticing 'his' strange anxiety around a woman, Anna figured she had a more effective way of disabling Leo. Anna, instead of attacking, brought herself close and began to kiss Leo. Quickly brought back to consciousness, Leo's eyes grew as wide as they could get when she realized what Anna was doing, and, with no idea of what to do, Leo just froze in shock, surprise, and panic. As Anna continued the shallow but long gesture, whether she did it naturally or just got caught in the moment, she was not sure why but she let her hand slip into Leo's vest and… Anna quickly shot back up into seated position, a thunderstruck and horrified look on her face.

"W-what the…" Anna managed to choke out.

Taking advantage, Leo kicked Anna off of her, rolled forward, and attacked as she sprang to her feet; she connected with a flying double scissor kick that sent Anna straight up into the air before Anna hit the ground. The match was over.

"_Leo wins! Please proceed to the next stage." _the announcer's voice loudly proclaimed over the area speakers.

Shock set into Leo as she realized just what Anna had felt, and she quickly began to buckle her vest back up. Meanwhile, Anna sat up slightly as shook her head in pain. Then, she looked at Leo again, simultaneously amazed that she had noticed earlier and horrified by what she'd just done. Leo, continuing to fix her vest, only looked with astonishment evident on her face back at the fallen Anna.

Anna, barely able to form words, then stammered, "Y-You're a … w-woman?!"

Leo, still in considerable alarm, couldn't speak, and just nodded in affirmation. She then began to nervously walk away, her hands actually shaking from what had just happened.

"… _I have no idea what just happened, but I don't think I want to know. Let's just move on_," Leo thought to herself as she left the area. Just then, Leo realized her lips were still tingling, and all she could do was shutter.

_**Lee Chaolan**_

Leo arrived at an area called the 'High Roller's Club', a fancy, extravagant casino, but her challenger had not arrived yet. After her 'encounter' with Anna, Leo was set to fight Lee Chaolan, who she immediately recognized as a major shareholder in G Corporation. This meant that if she could defeat Lee, she could be a lot closer to facing Kazuya than before.

Lee, wearing his tuxedo and having a fresh-cut rose in his front chest pocket, arrived at the 'High Roller's Club' for his next match. In the previous two rounds, Lee defeated two of his old friends from training in America, Marshall Law and Paul Phoenix, so Lee had already taken a nice trip down memory lane, but he knew it was time to get down to business. Walking into the arena, Lee noticed the young woman, who seemed lost in thought, across from him and felt slightly taken aback by her appearance. Having been in the tournament for many years, Lee had become accustomed to many of the ladies fighting in the tournament wearing rather revealing clothes and having rather 'extreme' attitudes; Lee even rolled his eyes when he thought of Anna Williams, but this young woman was different. In a similar vein as Julia Chang and maybe even Jun Kazama, This young woman was fully covered, and, for this young woman in particular, seemed to not want to draw attention to her looks. As he continued to look at her, Lee found himself admiring her because of her modesty and thinking of her as a welcome sight; he had to introduce himself.

Leo quickly spun around when she heard someone coming, and put herself on guard when she saw Lee Chaolan walking towards her.

Stopping in front of her, Lee said in his most cordial tone, "Well, hello. What might your name be?"

Leo, slightly confused by Lee's friendly tone, replied, "Uh… my name is Leo Kliesen."

Lee in the same tone as before then said, "Ah, so you're one of the new fighters. Well, welcome to the tournament ranks."

As he said that, Lee extended his hand to Leo. Confused further and slightly apprehensive, Leo hesitated for a moment, but eventually embraced Lee's hand with her own. However, instead shaking her hand, Lee bent forward and kissed the back of Leo's hand.

Definitely not use the gesture, Leo, as she had a brief flashback to the previous fight, thought to herself, "_Oh great. Not another one._"

As he stood back up, Lee said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Leo; my name is Lee Chaolan. So what's a young lady like yourself doing in this tournament?"

Leo was completely surprised not only by Lee's behavior but also by the way he referred to her. This was the second time in as many fights that she'd drawn unwanted attention to herself from her opponent. Like the first time, Leo was speechless, and, like Anna the first time, Lee noticed Leo's anxious appearance.

Hoping to see what was wrong, Lee said, "You seem surprised."

Leo, trying not to reveal too much, replied, "Not many people have called me 'young lady' before."

Lee chuckled and said mostly jokingly, "Well, they don't mistake you for a young man, do they?"

Immediately, Leo replied, "It happens," and began to remember the whole previous fight. In response, she frantically told herself, "_Move on, move on, move on!"_ Changing the subject, Leo then asked, "Anyway, Lee Chaolan, you're a major stockholder in G Corporation, right?"

Taking a small step back as he sensed the seriousness in Leo's voice, Lee nodded in affirmation as he plainly replied, "That's correct."

Leo continued, "That means you know Kazuya Mishima, right?"

Lee took another small step back, and replied, "Unfortunately. But why are you ask…" Lee suddenly realized something and asked, "Wait. Kliesen. You wouldn't happen to be the daughter of Emma Kliesen, one of the G Corporation executives who died recently, would you?"

Leo replied, "Yes, but I have reason to believe that she did not die accidently; I believe she was killed, and that Kazuya Mishima is the one who killed her."

Lee folded his arms across his chest, and shifted his weight as he said, "Hmm. Well that sounds like something Kazuya would do."

Just then, the announcer's voice could be heard over the area speakers saying, "_Leo Kliesen, Lee Chaolan, get ready for the next battle!_"

Leo then took a small step back as she said, "Then you understand why I have to defeat you," and assumed her fighting stance.

Lee stood straight up again, and said in a serious tone of voice, "I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, although I'm technically his partner, I too have a disdain for Kazuya, so naturally I want to be the one to defeat him. The one who wins this fight will probably face Kazuya in the next fight, so I can't just lie down." And with that, Lee assumed his fighting stance.

"_Round 1! Fight_" the announcer's voice boomed over the area speakers.

For the beginning of the first round, Leo and Lee were even, with both being equally aggressive. Eventually, however, Leo proved better at this approach than Lee; while Lee was no slouch when it came to applying pressure, Leo just had more weapons and attacks to use for that strategy. After moments of fighting, Leo defeated Lee with a stiff shoulder charge.

As Lee rose to his feet, the announcer's voice boomed through the area speakers, saying, "_Leo wins_," and, as Lee reassumed his fighting position, boomed again, saying, "_Round 2! Fight!"_

As he regained himself, Lee decided to adopt the completely opposite strategy, and actually turned down his aggression to allow Leo to come to him; Leo, seeing how her persistence aided her in the first round, continued with the same strategy. As part of his game plan, Lee started to operate solely out of 'Hit man' stance, using it to counter or reverse any of Leo's attempts at attack; the tactic proved very successful. Leo ultimately couldn't break through Lee's defense, and Lee defeated Leo with an 'Acid Storm' barrage.

As Leo rose to her feet, the announcer's voice boomed through the area speakers, "_Lee Chaolan wins!_"

Leo, trying to calm herself, thought aloud to herself, "_Relax. You can do it_," as she reassumed her fighting stance.

Lee, seeing how well his strategy worked and determining to continue its use, thought to himself as prepared for the last round, "_Kazuya, here I come."_

"_Final Round! Fight!_" the announcer's voice blasted out of the area speakers.

Again, Lee and Leo were even in the beginning parts of the round, only this time both were intent on stopping or countering when the other got too aggressive. But, like the second round, Lee seemed to have the advantage with this strategy although Leo got in her share of damage. Then, in the waning moments of the fight, it looked as if Lee would take the match after landing a nice combination out of 'Hit man', but, although he was near his own limit, Lee became a little 'excited', beginning to rush his attacks and slowly drifting out of his patient strategy. So, in his excitement, Lee ultimately mis-timed his 'Death Touch' unblockable attack; Leo managed to quickly sidestep it, and rushed forward, connecting with a surprisingly fast and strong, charging punch to Lee's gut, ending the fight.

"_Leo wins! Please proceed to the next stage,_" the announcer's voice boomed through area speakers.

Not wasting any time, Leo simply turned around and began to leave until…

"Wait! Please, wait," Lee called out as he saw Leo walking away.

Leo, although she slightly dreaded what Lee might say or do, stopped upon hearing him call her, and turned around as Lee rose to his feet.

"Congratulations. That was a great match, and you fought brilliantly," Lee said, and he then bowed to her in respect.

Leo, pleasantly surprised by an actual show of respect, returned Lee's bow ,and replied, "Thanks. You're pretty good yourself."

Then, Lee began to casually approach Leo as he took the somehow-still perfect rose out his tuxedo jacket. Leo, not sure what Lee was about to do, again felt herself become anxious.

"_Oh no. What now_," Leo though to herself as Lee stopped in front of her.

Lee then extended the rose toward Leo, offering to her, and said, "Good luck in the next round against Kazuya."

Leo, not sure what to think about Lee's gesture but not wanting to be rude, hesitantly took the rose from Lee, accepting it out of courtesy, and, with a somewhat half-hearted smile, replied, "Uhh…thanks."

Lee smiled, and then began to leave in the opposite direction. Just then, realizing where he stood, Lee began to run through his current situation (and what he needed to do next) through his mind. After lining it all up in his mind, Lee began to resolve himself.

"_Guess I'm watching the rest of the tournament from the sidelines. But no matter; I still have Plan B up my sleeve. I'm still going to get you, Kazuya; I'm going to get you yet,_" Lee thought to himself as a sly smile spread across his face.

Leo stood in the same place she'd stopped, alternatively watching Lee leave and looking at the rose in her hand.

"_Man, there are some weird people in this tournament,_" Leo thought to herself as she placed the rose in the pocket on the inside of her coat.

Her goal was now in sight; Leo had earned her way into the next fight, the fight the Kazuya would be in with a win on his part. After so much time, investigation, planning, and fighting, the time was finally at hand.

"Alright; I made it. All that's left now is to wait for Kazuya," Leo silently said to herself as she hurriedly proceeded to the next stage.

End Chapter

_**A/N: **_**Please forgive me for not being really specific with Leo's moves; I've seen a lot her moves in videos, but I don't know the names yet, but I**__**hope you liked the bonus chapter anyway. We'll get into the main story next chapter. Thanks for sticking with me on this exploratory tangent about my favorite new Tekken character. Please R and as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.**


	3. The Mishima's Evil One

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken_

_**A/N:**_** Alright, this is the true second chapter, so the preview in the prologue is in here. Sorry if it caused any confusion. Also, I promise this one will be more descriptive than the last one. You'll know who this is about even if you just read the title. Hope you like it.**

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash

Chapter 2- Kazuya Mishima: The Mishima's Evil One

Kazuya was growing tired of the way the tournament was progressing. As he expected, he was ended up on the side of the bracket opposite to Jin Kazama, but he didn't expect for his matches to take this long. When he first saw the bracket, he figured he'd just enjoy a nice warm-up to his showdown with Jin, but he wasn't having as easy a time as he'd expected. Still, he'd risen through three rounds with a good amount of energy left, even though the British boxer gave him a good run for his money in the previous match, and now he was two rounds from the semi-finals.

_**Like Mother, Like Daughter?**_

Kazuya stood solitary with his arms crossed in the 'Manji Valley', snowflakes falling lightly all around him. Serenity seemed to hover with this picturesque light snowfall, but that didn't have any effect on Kazuya, whose impatience for the next fight was starting to get to him. He didn't check the updated bracket while he was in transition, so he didn't know who he was facing, but then he saw a figure wearing a red, white, and black Jacket, and blue jeans, a deep contrast to the pristine white snow, approaching. As the person came nearer, he could tell it was a blond-haired young woman coming toward him; she looked livid, not that Kazuya really cared.

Just then, as she stopped in front of him, the announcer's voice boomed through the area speakers, "_Leo Kliesen, Kazuya Mishima, get ready for the next battle!_"

Leo, her voice full of intensity and contempt, said, "Finally, I get to face you one-on-one. Kazuya Mishima, it all ends here."

Kazuya quickly grew irritated with this young woman. He didn't know who she was, even though he thought she looked familiar for some reason he couldn't figure out. In any case, he remained silent, not wanting to respond, but then her name rang a bell in Kazuya's memory.

"Leo Kliesen, huh. You must be the daughter of one of those executives who betrayed me," Kazuya observed aloud.

Leo, seeming to take Kazuya's comment as an explanation, responded "Shut up! No matter what you say, there is no mercy for you now."

Kazuya was really getting fed up with this girl and her brazen attitude. Who did she think she was? Did she even realize who she was talking to? Kazuya wanted to attack her right then, but he temporarily restrained himself with the thought that he could inflict as punishment on her as he wanted shortly. Still, he figured he'd enlighten her.

"Careful. Your anger could be your undoing," Kazuya said with the slight intent of intimidation.

Leo coldly replied, "I'm done talking. Let's start this fight," and assumed her fighting stance.

Kazuya just watched her action with indifference, and, with more intent to intimidate, said, "Well, since you're so eager, maybe I should send you to see your mother." With that, Kazuya assumed his fighting stance.

Leo, preparing herself, resolved in her mind, "_Mother, I promise you; I won't let you down. You will be avenged!"_

Kazuya stood silently, ready to fight, when he suddenly had a strange feeling deep within himself. He was … excited. For the first time in this tournament, he actually felt eager for a fight. He quickly realized why the Devil inside was thrilled over this fight: an interesting prospect had arisen. He'd already taken out the parents, and now the child was standing across from him; he could actually eliminate the offspring of a former enemy; he could actually cut off a family line. As twisted as the thought was, Kazuya relished the opportunity.

Just then, the announcer's voice boomed through the area speakers, "_Round 1! Fight!_"

Although he wanted to simply thrash this young woman, Kazuya knew it would be foolish to just rush headlong at an angered opponent, especially one that he had never fought before. Therefore, he decided to simply 'test' her, mostly blocking her attacks while throwing a small number of his attacks at her, but he was met with a reaction that he didn't expect at all: Leo fought fiercely, but intelligently as well. Riding a wave of fury and resolve, Leo attacked Kazuya with incredible force, but still managed to counter him when he tried to attack or defend. With Kazuya not fighting seriously, Leo 'runs through him', seeming to dominate the round.

"_Leo wins,_" the announcer's voice boomed through the area speakers.

"_It seems I've underestimated this girl. She could prove dangerous with time, and she certainly had firs, but her style isn't anything I've haven't seen before. Time to stop toying around with her,_" Kazuya thought as he lied on the ground from his defeat.

Leo was still hyped up from the round before, ready for more and maintaining her fighting stance, and simply looked at Kazuya. Then, with one swift and sudden motion, Kazuya coiled and kipped up to his feet. Leo was completely shocked by his appearance as he reassumed his fighting stance: despite the amount of effort she exerted and the amount of punishment she heaped on him in the previous round, he seemed relatively unscathed and even somewhat relaxed; he wasn't even breathing hard.

Suddenly, the announcer's voice rang out, "_Round 2! Fight!_"

Now knowing what he needed to know, Kazuya began to fightwith intent, but again was surprised by Leo. Despite his fighting with more intensity, she, while having mild success weathering his barrages, seemed to match his aggression with her own. Kazuya, however, was stronger than her, so, although he landed less hits than Leo, his shots did more damage. Then, in the waning moments, Leo managed to stagger Kazuya, and briefly rushed in to take advantage, but Kazuya countered viciously. As Leo struck high, Kazuya ducked under it as he stepped forward, and crushed her deep in her abdomen with a single, powerful punch, a clean 'Glorious Demon God Fist'. Pain surged through Leo's entire body as she felt her abdomen give way and several of her ribs buckle beneath the power of Kazuya's fist, causing her to double over in agony. Even though Kazuya knew the round was over, Kazuya knew he still had Leo in a vulnerable state, and continued to move forward until he connected with a second punch right to Leo's face that knocked her flat on her back, completing his 'Soul Annihilator' combination and drawing blood from Leo's nose in the process.

"_Kazuya Mishima wins,_" the announcer's voice rang out through the area.

As she tried to stand, Leo found it hard to catch and maintain a decent breath, and started to panic as she felt blood rush up her throat from her abdomen and slowly trickle out of the corner of her mouth; her broken ribs had caused her to briefly bleed internally. Nonetheless, Leo got to her feet, and, after wiping the blood away from her mouth and nose, bravely reassumed her fighting stance. Kazuya watched Leo's struggle, filled with perverse and wicked satisfaction and enjoyment, and let a devilish grin show as he noticed Leo's shallow, labored breathing. Satisfied with the damage he'd already caused and ready to inflict more, Kazuya reassumed his fighting stance.

"_Final Round! Fight_," the announcer's voice rang out through the area.

As opposed to the first two rounds, this one wasn't nearly as even. Trying to keep her promise and avenge her fallen family, Leo fought bravely, but she was clearly not the same after Kazuya's vicious blow. Kazuya knew Leo was hurting, and didn't waste time taking advantage, hitting with powerful moves aimed right at her midsection. With her last bit of energy, Leo tried to mount some sort of offense, but, Kazuya easily dodged her strikes, sickeningly enjoying her futile efforts. Then, after an errant punch, Kazuya reversed it by wrapping one of his arms around one of hers, and reaching around her back with his other arm and clamping her mouth shut with his hand; with her in perfect position, Kazuya, while pulling her into it, sadistically drove his knee into Leo's back, executing a 'Gates of Hell' throw. Again, like a bolt of electricity, pain shot through Leo's entire body, even reaching her teeth, as the force of the blow even lifted her off her feet, breaking even more of her ribs; she would have let out a sick cry of torture if not for Kazuya's hand over her mouth and the blood that was forced out of it by the blow itself. As he felt her body go limp, Kazuya let Leo slump to her knees, a devilishly satisfaction coursing through his body.

"_How … how could I … lose_," Leo thought as she sat on her knees, practically paralyzed by heartache and pain.

Cold as the snow and snow-covered ground surrounding them, Kazuya disrespectfully pushed Leo to the ground with a swift front kick. Leo hit the ground with her upper body, staining the nearby snow red, and began to drift in and out of consciousness, the pain becoming increasingly worse with the drop of adrenaline in her body. The match was mercifully over.

"_Kazuya Mishima wins! Please advance to the next stage,_" the announcer's voice blasted through the area.

Kazuya continued to stare at Leo as she writhed in misery, but he wasn't finished yet. Kazuya slowly clasped his hand around Leo's throat, causing her cough up more blood onto his arm, and effortlessly lifted her above his head. As he held the helpless, barely-conscious young woman in the air, Kazuya felt a familiar urge fill his body, and his free hand began to tremble with anticipation and power. With one blow, he could finish this young woman … for good, and make her pay for her attitude with her life. In addition, the evil inside him was not yet satisfied, and wanted to cause more pain. However, after a brief moment, he decided his cover as the G-

corporation hero was more important to his plan, and decided to spare Leo. With that decision, Kazuya simply released his grasp, allowing Leo to freely fall to the ground in a heap. A group of people, the tournament medical staff, could be heard approaching when Kazuya finally noticed the blood. As the medics attended to the fallen Leo, Kazuya stared at the red stains in the pure white snow, the secondary spray on his arm, the small red pool on the palm of his hand in seeming awe.

"Like mother, like daughter," Kazuya silently commented to himself as he turned and headed for the next stage.

_**Mishima vs. Mishima **_

"_Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, get ready for the next battle,_" the announcer's voice seemed to resonate for miles.

The trees in the 'Mystical Forest' hung high over ahead, allowing virtually no light to enter. Right in the midst of the dense woodland laid a murky, shallow pool. This site was the picture of solemn isolation, with no signs of life around, but that was probably a good thing especially considering the possibly destructive rivalry about to come to a head. In the middle of the pool, an all-too-familiar encounter was taking place. Kazuya and Heihachi stared holes in each other, both having their arms crossed and neither showing signs of backing down.

"So, once again, it's father against son, both Mishimas again locked in battle," Heihachi said, finally breaking the silence.

"Yes, but this time the son has truly surpassed the father," Kazuya replied confidently.

Heihachi let out a mocking laugh in response, and said, "You surpass me? Is that so?"

Kazuya, not amused or intimidated, replied with in a matter-of-fact tone, "Let me put it this way. I advise you to save yourself true pain and forfeit the match now."

Heihachi then replied in a very serious tone, "You really have lost your mind if you think that's going to happen. I won't stop until the Mishima Zaibatsu is back where it belongs: under my control."

Kazuya then said confidently, "Well, allow me to inform you that this is where your quest stops. Jin Kazama is mine; you won't get past me.

Heihachi smirked as he retorted, "You sound very confident for someone I've defeated twice before."

Kazuya then explained, "Did you? I seem to remember it differently. As I recall, I was still confused about killing you in the second tournament. Fortunately, you settled that debate for me when you threw me into that volcano."

Heihachi scoffed at the comment, and said, "A likely story. What sorry excuse do you have for the second time?"

Kazuya simply replied, "You're a vengeful man, Heihachi; the entire world knows that. You probably wouldn't have taken me to Kazama if I beat you like I could have."

Heihachi just let out a slow, sinister-sounding chuckle, and said, "Alright Kazuya. But you'll have no excuses when I beat you this time."

Kazuya replied in a sinister tone, "Just remember; I gave you a chance to give in."

And with that, they both assumed their fighting stances. Although only a brief moment passed, the pause between this motion and the announcement seemed to take minutes. Time seemed to stand still, and the dense woodland suddenly grew quiet; it was as if the forest itself knew what kind of encounter was about to take place, and it was bracing itself for it. Finally, the announcement came.

"_Round 1! Fight,_" the announcer's voice rang out, again seeming to echo for miles.

As expected, the round was brutal, but it was also surprising in that both Heihachi and Kazuya were actually rather cautious in their approach to each other. Neither gave an inch, but they were also careful to not get careless. They often actually took the time to measure each other up for a solid attack and focused on getting in good hits rather than just trying to pummel one another. Also, when one sensed they were being put in a disadvantage, they made swift effort to get out of the situation, and even up the odds. Eventually, Heihachi got the 

upper hand almost defeating Kazuya with a 'Broken Toy' throw. Kazuya, determined not to fall to Heihachi, quickly retaliated just as Heihachi was approaching with a swift, furious 4-hit barrage, the 'Demon's Wrath' combination.

The announcer's voice then rang out, "_Kazuya wins!"_

"Is that it? I'm disappointed, Heihachi," Kazuya said, mocking him.

"Kazuya… don't get arrogant! I see I've made a mistake by 'playing games' with you, but no more. I'm not going to lose to you," Heihachi said as he rose to his feet.

Kazuya, seemingly unfazed, replied, "No matter what you said, you're still not going to beat me. But I'm going to enjoy putting you out of your misery."

At that moment, electricity filled the air… literally. Bolts of lightning sparked and rolled off of both Heihachi and Kazuya as power could be seen coursing through their bodies. The light show continued as they both slowly reassumed their fighting stances. The clash was going to elevate.

Finally, the announcer's voice boomed through the area, "_Round 2! Fight!_"

Kazuya and Heihachi, who showcased his new 'Raijin' stance throughout the round, engaged in another brutal encounter, but this one was much more vicious; both attacked with obvious malice for the other. As Kazuya and Heihachi hit each other with powerful and damaging attacks, it was evident just how bitter their rivalry had been. Neither relented in their aggression and the match came down to the wire. However, Kazuya proved stronger; he finished by knocking Heihachi in the air with a forearm uppercut, the 'Demon Cutter', and, when Heihachi was coming down, connected with a violent uppercut to Heihachi's gut into an overhand punch to his head, a 'Slaughter Hook' combination. Kazuya had swept Heihachi.

"_Kazuya Mishima wins! Please proceed to the next stage,_" the announcer's voice echoed through the area.

With victory now his, Kazuya turned his back to Heihachi, but did not leave. Heihachi, beaten but not wanting to accept it, began crawling toward his son as he tried to get to his feet.

"Un … believable. How could you beat … me," Heihachi questioned aloud, laboring to stand.

Kazuya coldly replied as he looked over his shoulder at the now-kneeling Heihachi, "Now, you've seen what I'm truly capable of. But, let me give something to make sure you remember."

With that, Kazuya began to glide along the ground, electricity gathering his fist. He spun once, building momentum; he spun twice, the electricity growing fiercer. Then, right in front of Heihachi, Kazuya uncoiled, releasing all his power in an uppercut to Heihachi's chin. The elder Mishima, the victim of a maximum-strength 'Lightning Uppercut', was knocked high into the air and carried back by the force of the attack, a pained grunt escaping his body. Kazuya looked on in satisfaction and laughed maniacally to himself as Heihachi flew through the air and hit the ground with a sick THUD!

Xiaoyu's heart sank within her. Having seen the whole second round, she saw the hatred and the strife between the two Mishimas. The sight of it and Kazuya's extra hit at the end gave her a stinging pain in her chest. This family didn't look like it could be saved. Again, she was discouraged about her mission and its potential for success. Then, a grim thought came to her: what if Jin was in as bad a situation as his father and grandfather? Could he even be **worse** than his other family? The very thought made Xiaoyu want to cry, but, after a moment, she remembered how hard she fought and train, and, though her heart was heavy, resolved herself to her goal: save the Mishima family and, above all, Jin. But, it was obvious now: this would be definitively harder that she first thought.

End Chapter

**Next time: **"_It was the single most important moment of your life but for me, … it was only Tuesday."_

_**A/N: **_**First off, please forgive me, Leo; I'm sorry. Okay, that was chapter 2, and chapter 3 is coming soon. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review. **


	4. The Devil's Newest Captive

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken_

_**A/N:**_** This is chapter three. Also, please forgive me if the chapter become too similar; I promise variety is coming. Anyway, please enjoy anyway. Plus, you already know this character's back-story, so I'll just get to it. **

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: Where Souls and Hearts Clash

Chapter 3- Jin Kazama: the Devil's newest captive

_**Rojo Rage **_

Jin Kazama had no idea how he'd managed to land himself in this position; his latest match was in 'Rustic Asia'. The area looked like a pig sty, mostly because it was one. Throughout the muddy pig-stack, chickens, roosters, and, of course, pigs were haphazardly wandering here and there, ignorant to the battle about to take place, the chaos that would ensue, and the danger they were in. Jin only looked around in disgust at the pit until he heard someone enter the pit and begin walking toward him while cracking their knuckles. Before him was a scruffy Spanish man wearing an outfit similar to a matador minus the jacket, the hat, and the long cloth.

Just then, the announcer's voice rang out, "_Miguel Rojo, Jin Kazama, get ready for the next battle!_"

The name didn't ring any bells, and Jin certainly had never seen the man before. Obvious in his face and body language, Miguel was livid, barely able to hold himself back; Jin noticed, but, not really concerned about it, looked at Miguel with indifference. Not really interested but somewhat curious as to what Miguel was upset about, Jin broke the silence.

"So … who are you supposed to be," Jin asked nonchalantly.

Miguel, a scowl on his face, aggressively replied, "I'm Miguel Caballero Rojo, and I'm the one … who's gonna kill you!"

Not at all intimidated or fazed, Jin coldly replied, "Is that so?"

Miguel crossly shot back, "That's right. You may be calm now, but mark my words: I will DESTROY YOU for what you did to her!"

Confused, Jin inquired, "What I did to _her_?! What are you talking about?"

Only irritated more by the apparent obviousness of the answer, Miguel snarled, "Don't you play stupid with me; don't act like you don't know."

Jin, only confused more, replied, "I'm telling you I have no idea what you're talking about."

Again speaking as if the situation were obvious, Miguel then said with irritation, "Oh, come on! Don't tell me that you don't remember the air raid you ordered on that Spanish town."

Jin, becoming irritated with the growing tedium of the conversation, asked hurriedly, "Which air raid? What Spanish town? I didn't destroy any Spanish town."

With his anger now full-blown, Miguel explained, "Look! You ordered an air raid on a Spanish town, my hometown. During that air raid, you not only destroyed the town, you destroyed a church, the church my sister was getting married in. You killed my sister, the only person in this world I cared about in this world, and made my life a living hell! There's no way you don't remember that."

Jin, hoping to end the discussion, then callously replied, "Well, let me explain something to you. To quote a favorite _psycho_ of mine, 'When Jin Kazama touched your town, it was the single most important moment of your life, but, for me, … it was only Tuesday.'"

Incensed, Miguel snarled, "All this hatred … All of this is for you!"

With that, Miguel, as opposed to assuming his normal laid-back stance, went right into his 'Savage' stance, ferocity in his eyes. Jin, just as calm as he was when he arrived, merely assumed his fighting stance without another word, his trademark steely visage on his face.

"_Round 1! Fight,_" the announcer's voice blared through the area.

From the beginning of the round, Jin had to fight from behind, plunged into confusion by Miguel. What was most confusing was Miguel's fighting style: he didn't have one. He didn't have a stance, and didn't show any kind of form or strategy. For the most part, he just raged after Jin like a wild animal; during the fight, Jin even noted that Miguel ironically fought like a man possessed. Eventually, Miguel was able to put Jin down.

"_Miguel wins,_" the announcer's voice resounded through the area, much to the cheers of the crowd watching nearby.

Still hyped up on determination and rage, Miguel vehemently shouted at Jin, "Get up! Get up! Get up!"

As he rose to his feet, Jin analyzed the round in his mind, thinking, "_He's like a mad dog; no strategy, just brawling. It's different than what I'm use to, but I have something for him. His lack of style won't get him very far; I'll see to that."_ With that, Jin wiped his face clean and reassumed his fighting stance.

"_Round 2! Fight_," the announcer's voice then blasted throughout the area.

Jin, with a plan in mind, adopted a 'baiting' strategy; he only blocked and reversed Miguel's attacks, but rarely threw his own attacks. Miguel, engrossed in his own fury, didn't realize what was happening. Eventually, just as Jin planned, Miguel barely avoided 'punching himself out', almost completely exhausting himself. With his strength visibly wavering, Miguel throws out an errant strike, and Jin, taking advantage, timed it just right and countered it into a 'Suigetsu Strike', his strategy coming to culmination.

The announcer's voice then rang out, "_Jin Kazama wins!"_

The crowd was shouting angrily now in response to Jin's brief triumph, while cheering for Miguel to continue fighting. Miguel angrily pounded his fist into the ground in frustration. Seeing this, Jin made a mental note of it, noting the opportunity. It was obvious Miguel was a hot-head even more so than Hwoarang, and he got a massive sense of 'tunnel vision' when he was angry. Immediately, Jin was reminded of a strategy he'd seen used against an over eager fighter, and decided to implement it. Miguel then jumped to his feet.

Miguel, voicing his frustrations, angrily said, "What was that, huh? Are you scared or somethin'? Come on. Fight like a man!"

Jin, already putting his plan into action, replied, "That's pretty ironic coming from someone who fights like an animal. You should probably be put in a cage."

Miguel, further maddened by this commented, furiously shouted back, "Oh yeah?! Well, this 'animal' is about to tear you apart!"

Miguel then reassumed his 'Savage' Stance, and Jin, as a sick enjoyment from seeing his plan working began to fill him up, calmly reassumed his fighting stance.

"_Final Round! Fight,_" the announcer's voice then resounded through the area to the eruption of cheers from the onlookers.

From the beginning, just as in the other rounds, Miguel came out like a raging, five-alarm fire, and Jin went into his planned tactic of playing on Miguel's frustration. With use of his timing, he managed to dodge or reverse many of Miguel's attacks, all while taunting and hitting him with basic attacks. Just as Jin planned, Miguel became wildly uncontrollable, and thus unknowingly blinding himself, leaving him vulnerable. Then, when Miguel is his most frustrated, angry, and exposed, Jin got a good distance back, getting more than enough room. Miguel began to run toward him, not noticing Jin going into a special posture with one of his arm stretched out in front of him. Red lightning gathered and trickled up Jin's arm as he channeled his power, all the while Miguel continued coming full speed toward Jin. Then, just as Miguel got in range, Jin took a mighty step forward, and unleashed all the power he'd readied with one punch to Miguel's chest, red lightning flying through the air because of the impact. The sufferer of a full-strength 'Avenger', Miguel went flying backward until he landed on the ground where he started running. The round was positively and quickly decided.

"_Jin Kazama wins! Please proceed to the next stage,_" the announcer's voice boomed through the area.

The crowd of onlookers was utterly speechless, placed in a state of stunned silence. Jin, completely finished with the whole encounter began to leave. Miguel, however, was down but not out.

"Stop! I'm not finished with you yet," yelled out Miguel as he slowly got to his feet, still holding his chest.

Jin, aggravated at the thought of prolonging the encounter any further, stopped and turned around to the sight of Miguel again sprinting toward him. Jin was not daunted by the threat, and, just like moments before, timed it so Miguel was right in range when he knocked Miguel back, this time with a dominant side kick, a 'Blade Kick'. Again, Miguel went flying backward, but this time when Miguel landed, he was truly down for the count. Then, Jin felt perverse delight from how he'd just laid out his attacker, and was compelled to add insult to injury.

"You know, you should stay down there … with the pigs. It suits you," Jin mockingly said with an evil grin growing on his face to the unconscious Miguel.

With that, Jin let out a maniacal laugh as he left the area and the onlookers in utter silence.

--

_**Fighting Prophecy**_

Again, Jin found himself in an unpleasant venue situation, but this one was terrible for a different reason; for this match, Jin was in the 'Temple Grounds' area. True to its name, this was an actually temple, meaning it had a strong spiritual adversity to evil, something that ran in Jin's family especially on his father's side. Just being near this sacred place sent a cold chill down Jin's spine and an ache in his bones, let alone actually being on the grounds. Jin hated feeling this way. Just then, a young Caucasian woman dressed in an Arabian style outfit appeared in front of him.

At that moment, the announcer's voice resonated loudly through the area, "_Zafina, Jin Kazama, get ready for the next battle!_"

Zafina took only a quick glance at Jin before saying to herself, "Evil is strong in him, too strong. It's as if it were in his genes, in his very blood. But I'll still sense a glimmer of good in him; maybe I can appeal to it. Killing him would definitely bring more attention than I need. "

Jin felt his apprehension grow even more with Zafina's presence, causing him to observe her more closely. He quickly realized that while she was attractive, she had a strong spiritual power that was used not to purify but to vanquish evil.With the amount of power she possessed, she was probably aware of it, and, more unfortunately for Jin, knew how to use it. Jin knew this would be a difficult fight.

Hoping to find out more, Jin asked, "Well, Zafina, who are you?"

Zafina, not one to waste time, replied, "Who I am is of no importance; what really matters is that you abandon your quest to face Kazuya Mishima."

Jin, surprised she knew of that intention but not wanting to show it, then asked, "Oh, and might I ask why that is important?"

Zafina explained, "You and he are the 'two evil stars' from my premonitions. It has been prophesized that when you two meet, a great wave of destruction will follow, destroying our whole world. You must stop this pursuit of yours. "

Jin merely crossed his arms across his chest, and uncaringly replied, "I've never been much for prophecies, but, since you put it that way, the answer … is no."

Zafina, surprised with Jin's apathy, tried to reason, saying, "What?! But your encounter will endanger all of mankind."

Jin only replied even more coldly, "Then, so be it."

Zafina started to look concerned, but quickly came to a realization and calmly said, "Oddly, I'm not that surprised with your lack of concern; I should have expected such indifference toward human life. However, since that is your decision, I have no other choice … but to annihilate you."

Jin sarcastically laughed at Zafina's statement, and replied, "You can try. But I've heard that speech too many times before, and, as you can see, I'm still here.

Zafina, not really offended by the previous comment which she expected from him, coolly answered back, "Then, I guess I'll have to be the first … and the last."

Jin, surprised but intrigued by her reply, then said, "Well, aren't you confident. But we'll see if you can back up your claim."

With that, both fighters assumed their fighting stances.

"_Round 1! Fight,_" the announcer's voice reverberated through the area.

Again faced with another fighter he was unfamiliar with, Jin found himself stunned by Zafina's style. First off, her form was highly unorthodox to say the least; in truth, Jin found the style so strange that it was near-impossible to guess where or even what angle an attack was coming from. Even when Jin thought he threw her off-balance, Zafina would still somehow attack with some part of her body or twist her body in some seemingly impossible way in order to get back in position. Jin found himself lost for the majority of the round; the only thing he could gather was that her style resembled that of a spider and, at times, a scorpion. Ultimately, Zafina garnered a decisive win over Jin.

The announcer's voice then rang out, "_Zafina wins!"_

Jin sat up, and shook his head in pain as he thought, "_Who or what is this woman? She can attack from literally anywhere, and her discipline … it's so bizarre. She's never off-balance. She even fights through reversals and traps. I see now that I can't even let her get on the offensive._"

Jin then quickly rose to his feet, and both fighters reassume fighting stance.

"_Round 2! Fight,_" the announcer's voice resounded through the arena.

Jin immediately went on the offensive, and bombarded Zafina with almost every move in his arsenal; Jin was 'rushing Zafina down', not giving her an inch of breathing room or allowing her to gain any kind of momentum. All the while, Jin managed to control himself and fight effectively, evidenced by the way he minimized Zafina's chances of resistance; every time Zafina tried to break through, Jin would reverse it, put her back on the defensive , and begin rushing again. Finally, Zafina managed to block the first two hits of Jin's 'Savage Sword', but Jin delayed the last part enough to surprise her with the kick and defeat her.

The announcer's voice boomed throughout the area, "_Jin Kazama wins!_"

Zafina, now the one who had to think things over, thought to herself as she rose to her feet, "_Incredible; I didn't even get a solid hit in on him. He is strong … but I must be stronger. Jin Kazama must not advance any further! I can't lose here; the fate of mankind depends on it!_"

With that, both fighters reassumed fighting stance for the last time in the fight.

Finally, the announcer's voice blasted through the area, "_Final Round! Fight!_"

Jin continued his rush strategy, but Zafina again surprised him by answering with her own aggression. Jin, thinking quickly, immediately changed his strategy to a 'juggle-only' approach; the only time he actually attacked was to launch her into the air and unleash a juggle on her. This proves somewhat successful, but Zafina aggressively pursued him, breaking his defenses several times. Ultimately, Zafina barely missed an attack that put Jin slightly behind her, and Jin, knowing he barely had any strength left, prepared his signature move. As she was turning toward him, Jin glided on his feet toward Zafina, and hit her with an intense roundhouse punch that caused red sparks of lightning to shoot from the point of impact. Zafina spiraled backward through the air, red lightning still trickling along her body from Jin's 'Right Roundhouse Punch', and hit the ground with a sick thump, ending the match.

"_Great! Jin Kazama wins! Please proceed to the next stage,_" the announcer's voice echoed through the temple.

Jin was thoroughly spent, and didn't want to continue the encounter any further. Also, he still loathed being on temple ground and being around Zafina as both still wrenched his soul within him, so, without any further word to her, simply began to leave. However, as he took his leave, Jin still decided to savor his victory a little.

"_Just like all the rest_," Jin thought to himself as he glanced back at Zafina one last time. Jin, leaving the fight behind him, then turned his attention back to his current situation, thinking, "_Now, on to more important matters. I'm too close now. Nothing can stop me from facing … __him__. I'm waiting for you; don't disappoint me … Kazuya._"

Behind him, Zafina slowly sat up and watched as Jin left.

Discouraged at what had just taken place, Zafina thought to herself, "_This … can't … be. I failed to stop him. Now, there's only one round until their possible collision. Humanity could truly be … doomed. Only a miracle or … an angel can stop this now."_

End Chapter

**Next Time:** _"It's to show you respect for a good fight. Don't you know that?"_

_ "__You__ are showing __me__ RESPECT??"_

_**A/N: **_**before I say anything, Jin's quote is by M. Bison as he is portrayed by the great Raul Julia (1940-1994. May God rest his soul; Vaya Con Dios TT). So, that was chapter 3, and chapters 4 and 5 are already written so I'll be uploading them soon. Anyway, until then, R&R, and as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.**


	5. The Kazama family's forlorn hope

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken _

_**A/N:**_** Okay, here's chapter 4. Now that we've seen how one end of the spectrum has shaped up, it's time to see how the other side formed. Yes, now that the evil side has been told, we're going to revisit follow one of our heroines in this chapter, and just read the title to see which one. Hope you enjoy it.**

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: Where Souls and Hearts Clash

Chapter 4- Asuka Kazama: The Kazama family's forlorn hope

Throughout life, people often experience situations that shake them to their foundations, situations that cause them to question everything they believed, thought, or lived, and even question themselves as people. Ultimately, however, people are defined by how they react to these occurrences: do they lie down in defeat or do they better themselves, come back, and rise above? Asuka Kazama went through one of these incidents during the last tournament of the Iron Fist, and realized that, if she was to be successful, she would have to change; she would have to be less overconfident and more determined. In response to her setback, she began to train with more passion and vigor, while simultaneously adopting several personality traits from her aunt, Jun Kazama, as told to her by her father. As is always the case, changing oneself is not for the faint of heart, but, though the path was demanding and she was hesitant at first, Asuka determined within herself to learn from her mistakes, and conquer those things inside her that kept her from being as good as she could be. Finally, after ceaseless training and constantly pushing herself beyond her limits, Asuka entered the sixth Iron Fist Tournament with a newfound strength and outlook on things. Once there, she came through the first three rounds, only to come against …

_**Princess Rival**_

"Asuka Kazama … we meet again."

Asuka knew that voice, that high, slightly pretentious feminine voice. Almost as soon as the words struck her eardrum, Asuka flinched a little, but ultimately let out a soft groan as she turned around. Just as he anticipated, there running towards her was the 17-year-old French girl with the long blonde hair, white Lolita dress, and white fashion boots, Lili Rochefort, her 'rival' and next opponent. Both were set to engage in 'The Fallen Colony', a bizarre outdoor area with a balcony on one side, an oddly-angled landscape on another, and a tree with glass under it on another. When Lili got close to Asuka, she stopped in front of her, eager to get their fight started.

"_Lili Rochefort, Asuka Kazama, get ready for the next battle,"_ the announcer's voice suddenly blared through the area.

"Hello, Emily Rochefort," Asuka dryly said.

Surprised by the comment, Lili responded, "Emily," let out a playfully giggle, and continued, "Aren't you formal today. That's no way to greet a rival."

Asuka felt a slight pain in her gut, fearing an annoying reaction, as she said, "… Nothing personal, but … I'm not your rival anymore; I can't be."

Stunned by this change of heart, Lili asked, "What?! What do you mean you can't be my rival?"

Trying to explain without letting everything slip out, Asuka replied, "I just have more important things I need to take care of, and I can't afford any distractions."

Half-whining, Lili stammered into asking, "B-But you can't just do that, can you? I mean, what 'important things' do you have to take care of?"

Asuka, still not trying to tell everything, solemnly replied, "Let's just say I have some … 'family issues' that need to be resolved. "

Lili stopped for a moment with this statement; she couldn't figure out what Asuka was talking about. Then, she made a realization.

"Oh, you mean Jin," the young Rochefort finally said.

Asuka only nodded in affirmation, and then braced herself. She expected an outburst of emotion from Lili for this new revelation, but, surprisingly, it didn't come. Lili, as upset as she was, couldn't really get mad; after all, 

she understood what Asuka was saying. So, instead of an outpour of how she was feeling, she only folded her arms across her chest in frustration.

Lili, trying to be understanding but still half-whining, replied, "Okay, I guess I understand, but this is still unfair. I never even got a chance to avenge my loss to you in the last tournament."

Asuka quickly responded to Lili's hasty comment, saying, "Quit whining. We're about to fight right now."

Lili, realizing Asuka was right, quickly said, "Oh right. Well, then let's get on with it."

Asuka let out a frustrated sigh, and replied, "Just try not to waste my time." And with that, both assumed fighting stance.

The announcer's voice then blasted through the area, "_Round 1! Fight!" _

Lili immediately did something Asuka was not expecting: she came out ferociously. Right from the beginning, Lili showed a considerable amount of aggression, definitely more than Asuka expected or even gave her credit for. With Lili staying on top of her, Asuka quickly tried to go on the offensive, but was thrown off her game after Lili performed another unexpected maneuver. Somewhere in the midst of Lili's barrage, Asuka dodged onto the glass portion of the stage, but Lili followed her in and executed a 'Bloody Masquerade Lance'. Then, as Asuka slammed into the ground, the glass gave way with a violent shatter, sending thousands of tiny shards of glass and both fighters plummeting the library floor below. Although Lili was as surprised as Asuka by the sudden breakaway, she managed to land on her feet; Asuka, however, was not as fortunate as she hit the ground flat on her back with enough force to cause her to bounce a few feet, not to mention drive countless shards of glass that now littered the area into her back. Asuka wouldn't recover, and, a few moments after the crash, Lili finished the round with a 'Kiss of Devotion'.

"_Lili wins,"_ the announcer's voice resounded through the area.

Lili, trying to rub it in while enjoying her brief triumph, said haughtily, "Come on, Asuka. Is that all you got? Tell me you can do better than that."

As she got to her feet, Asuka fired back, "Just keep talking, Princess." And with that, both fighters reassumed fighting stance.

The announcer's voice then echoed through the area, "_Round 2! Fight!"_

Again, Lili came out aggressively, but Asuka answered back with her own intensity, both fighters engaging in a furious conflict. But, there was something about Asuka's fighting style that Lili forgot; one of her strengths is that she can really punish an opponent's mistakes and missed attacks. This proved pivotal to the round as Asuka demonstrated she was better at utilizing a more aggressive strategy. After moments of furious fighting, Lili missed one of her attacks, and Asuka quickly retaliated with a twin palm strike, her signature 'Inner Strength' attack.

"_Asuka Kazama wins_," the announcer's voice boomed through the area.

Much quicker than expected, Lili jumped to her feet and reassumed fighting stance.

Frustrated with her loss and the prospect of losing a second fight to Asuka, Lili angrily said, "No, not this time! I won't lose; you hear me, Asuka Kazama?! I won't lose to you this time!"

Asuka, finding slight pleasure in Lili's reaction, gave her a light-hearted verbal jab, saying, "Just keep telling yourself that, Princess. It'll just make this defeat that much harder to stomach."

Lili let out an angry growl as Asuka reassumed fighting stance.

The announcer's voice then blared through the area, "_Final Round! Fight!"_

After noticing how the last round progressed and remembering how Asuka fought, Lili utilized a less offensive approach, but Asuka was a step ahead of her. Anticipating Lili would hold back more, Asuka also adapted a more defensive line of fighting. Eventually, the battle turned into a sort of hand-to-hand chess game where both tried to bait the other into making a mistake or put themselves off balance, and, once they did, take advantage of the situation. In a stroke of cleverness, this allowed Asuka to maintain control as this played right back into her strengths. Lili ultimately figured out what Asuka was doing, but, by the time she did, it was too late; Asuka already had the match well in hand. Finally, Lili performed a front flip into a heel drop, but Asuka blocked it and, just as Lili 

got to her feet, hit her with a hard knee to the gut, a 'Heart Stopper'. Lili quickly crumbled to the ground from the impact, defeated.

"_Asuka Kazama wins! Please proceed to the next stage," _the announcer's voice rang out through the area.

Lili, in total disbelief, said, "No way! I can't believe I lost … again! There's just no way!"

After a moment to accept the loss, Lili finally rose to her feet, and noticed Asuka doing something she'd never seen her do: Asuka was bowing to her. Completely confounded to why she was doing it, Lili only stood in confusion.

"What are you doing," Lili asked in surprise.

Asuka, without standing up straight, quickly answered, "I'm bowing to you."

Still lost as to the cause of this action, Lili asked in confusion, "Why?"

Frustrated with the uninformed question, Asuka let out a sigh as she slowly lifted herself up straight.

"It's to show you respect for a good fight. Don't you know that?" Asuka explained, slightly irritation evident in her voice.

This completely threw Lili for a loop. She would've never expected Asuka to do such as a thing. Not once throughout their rivalry had this occurred.

Lili, with great mystification and shock, responded, "You are showing me RESPECT??"

Asuka partly couldn't believe Lili's question. Was it really that hard to believe? Was it really that surprising for her to show someone respect? She started to say something in retaliation, but she quickly stopped. Lili was right to be stunned, Asuka realized.

Asuka then turned from irritated to sincere as she solemnly replied, "Yes. I'm trying to change; be less conceited. Part of that is showing others especially my fellow fighters the proper respect. That what my father says; that's what my aunt would have done."

Still not really sure what it all meant, Lili replied, "Uhh … Okay."

After shaking her head in disbelief and discouragement, Asuka conceded, "You don't have to understand it; I didn't think you would anyway. It's hard enough without having to explain it. You don't have to return the respect."

Somewhat understanding Asuka's words and feeling obligated to do something in return, Lili then said, "Wait a minute. Look, I guess … I guess you deserve my respect. If for no other reason, you are my ri… I mean, my _former_ rival."

With that, the two exchanged bows, showing each other respect for a short but impassioned rivalry. Then, as they stood back up, they faced each other, not as rivals but as possible friends.

Not sure how to say what she was thinking, Lili stumbled, "Umm … good luck, and … give Jin a few shots for me, okay?"

Asuka only smiled in response as she turned around and headed for her next struggle, one that would affect her in ways that she couldn't have expected.

--

_**Return Fight for Honor**_

Asuka stood speechless, her mouth slightly opened in shock as she faced her next opponent, the Chinese Kenpo master from the last tournament, Feng Wei. She couldn't figure out how she felt about her fortune. On one hand, it was a chance for Asuka to redeem herself for her prior loss, but, on the other hand, this was the same man who humiliated her in that loss. Although she knew this was a chance at redemption, all Asuka could think about was how the loss affected her.

"_Feng Wei, Asuka Kazama, get ready for the next battle," _the announcer's voice suddenly blared through the area, snapping Asuka out of her brief trance.

"So, here we are again face-to-face," Feng Wei said.

Suddenly, a flood of bad memories flashed rapidly through Asuka's mind. Her stomach twisted into wretched knots. Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably. Her heart began to race. Panic spread through her whole body. For the first time in her life, Asuka was truly intimidated, and she couldn't shake it. Feng Wei noticed Asuka's silence, and, suspecting her intimidation, tried to further her anxiety.

"So you do remember. But something's different. I wonder what it is," Feng Wei said, pretending to reflect on something.

Asuka remained silent, desperately trying to calm the raging storm of apprehension within herself. Feng Wei, carrying on with his intimidation attempt, pretended to come to a realization.

Feng Wei then coldheartedly said, "Oh, yes. Your attitude is completely gone. In fact, you look quite unconfident. What's wrong? Afraid this fight will end exactly like our last one?"

Asuka again held her tongue, and put on a fearless façade. Inside, however, she still could not get a hold of herself. Her insides felt like they were flying circles in her body. Despite her clenched fists, her hands were still trembling. No matter what she did, she couldn't stop her nerves from going berserk.

Continuing the pressure, Feng Wei then said in a decidedly more ominous tone, "Well, your fears are well-founded. I warn you; quit this match now or suffer a fate far worse than before."

Still quiet, Asuka seriously considered quitting the fight; she couldn't battle a skilled opponent if she couldn't even fight off her own insecurities. Ultimately, however, Asuka reached deep into her soul, fortified her will, and somberly assumed her fighting stance.

Not deterred by Asuka's seeming fortitude, Feng Wei merely stated, "Very Well, but understand this: You have chosen … utter devastation." He then calmly assumed his fighting stance.

The announcer's voice then blasted through the area, "_Round 1! Fight!"_

Despite her early anxiety, Asuka managed to put it aside as the round started, getting into her fighting tempo and rhythm; Feng Wei, however, seemed to fight much fiercer although not more aggressive. He was also sadistic in his approach and vicious in his tactics. He would stop juggles short, so she would hit the ground and have to guess what he would do next. He also seemed to put more power into his already strong attacks. Eventually, Feng Wei overpowered Asuka. After putting her in a guard stun, Feng Wei rushed in, and grabbed her, lifting her slightly into the air before letting her go. Then, before she could get close to the ground, Feng Wei repeatedly, brutally drove his fists into her midsection, sucking the air out of her lungs and pushing her further up into the air with every shot. Through the pain, Asuka remember this attack, the ferocity, the intensity, the malice; this was the 'Avalanche' throw from the last fight, only, this time, it was much more powerful than she remembered. Finally, when Asuka reached a certain height, Feng Wei slammed her to the ground with his leg, driving his foot deep into her gut before backing away. Unbeknownst to both of them, Jun's headband that Asuka was wearing came off mid-attack, landing next to Asuka as she lied on the ground in misery.

"_Feng Wei wins,"_ the announcer's voice blared through the area.

Asuka, with pain still whipping through like a chilling wind, tried to get to her feet, but, for some reason, she couldn't do it; she couldn't will herself to her feet. It was as if there was a great force keeping her pinned to the ground. Eventually, with great effort, she managed to get to her knees, but then she felt doubt spread through her mind like a wildfire in a dry forest and her anxiety returned.

As Asuka looked at the ground, a depressing thought ran through her mind, "_He's even more powerful than before. Maybe I … maybe I can't … maybe I can't beat him."_

Then, by chance, Asuka noticed Jun's headband splayed unceremoniously across the ground, and immediately began reflecting on its significance as she picked it up and held it in her hand. She remembered everything her father had told her about her aunt, how she was the 'chosen one' amongst her family, how great a person she was, how she was always willing to help those around her. Asuka, with that thought in her mind, clenched her fist around it, and began to search within herself.

Trying to call out in a way, Asuka spoke in her mind, "_Aunt Jun, I know … I don't really know you and that we never actually met, but … I need your help. It's up to me to restore our family name, to restore our honor. I'm not sure if I can do it on my own, so please … be with me. _

Unbeknownst to Asuka because she had her eyes closed, a formless, white aura began to surround and emanate from her arm and the headband, and promptly flashed away as Asuka opened her eyes. Suddenly, the weight that had been holding Asuka down lifted, her anxiety quickly fleeted, and her mind was unexpectedly clear. With her strength returned, Asuka quickly retied Jun's headband around her head, jumped to her feet, and reassumed her fighting stance. Feng Wei, undaunted by Asuka's eagerness, only smiled as he reassumed his fighting stance.

The announcer's voice then echoed through the area, "_Round 2! Fight!"_

Feng Wei, not wanting to allow an opportunity to slip by, immediately came out raging, but Asuka, incredibly composed, turned it around on him. Using good timing, she deftly hit him with moves that stunned him, leaving him vulnerable, and, using her ability to easily string many attacks together, tacked on continuous damage while he was helpless to stop it. Beginning to get frustrated but recognizing Asuka's strategy, Feng Wei controlled his intensity better, but it ended up costing him. When Asuka spun toward him, Feng Wei anticipated it and back dashed; Asuka spun again, and Feng Wei performed a low forward dash, a 'Lingering Shadow', toward her, not noticing the glowing green aura gathering around her lower body; Asuka spun once more, and, as Feng Wei was rising up to attack, connected with a massive spinning kick, a maximum-strength 'Spinning Heel Drop', that caused green sparks of electricity to fly aimlessly through the air upon impact. Not expecting it at all, Feng Wei took the full brunt of the attack, and went spiraling backwards until he slammed into the ground. The round was finished, and Feng Wei never touched Asuka.

"_Perfect! Asuka Kazama wins" _the announcer's voice resounded through the area.

As he shook his head in pain, Feng Wei sat up and observed Asuka, who was maintaining her fighting stance. She didn't look at all like she did in the first round. Although she was breathing a little heavy, she was calm, ready, eager, and not the least bit demoralized; she had found her strength as Feng Wei measured it. With this revelation in his mind, Feng Wei steeled himself as he rose to his feet and reassumed himself.

The announcer's voice then boomed through the area, "_Final Round! Fight!"_

This round was intense and very frenzied. Feng Wei immediately began throwing his entire arsenal of attacks at Asuka, but she managed to have some success weathering his barrage although she took some good 

shots including a stiff palm thrust, his 'Iron Palm', which knocked a good bit of wind out of her. Then, after his initial rave ended, Asuka quickly answered back with an onslaught of her own. Misconstruing it as desperation, Feng Wei tried to defend, but he took heavy damage including a strong, twisting combination, Asuka's full 'White Heron Dance', and a palm strike slam, a 'Falling Tower' throw. Eventually, Asuka slowed down, presumably from fatigue, and Feng Wei quickly tried to take advantage. However, this was a clever ploy on Asuka's part, and, using his forward motion against him, caught him in a trap. Deftly and quickly, Asuka slammed Feng Wei into the ground and tossed him into the air, performing a 'Falling Rain' throw, and, as he was coming down, planted a strong elbow into his back, hitting him with an 'Exorcisor'. Redemption was now hers.

The announcer's voice then rang out through the area, "_Asuka Kazama wins! Please proceed to the next stage."_

Standing over the defeated Feng Wei, Asuka felt a surge of anger run throughout her body; she wanted to exact some revenge for her father and herself on top of her recent triumph. But, before she could decide to, she again remembered something her father told her.

"_Revenge is a slippery slope to destruction; a slope that has failed countless great warriors before you. It has been the downfall of many, and you must be careful not to fall down this path to waste. You must learn to let go of hostilities, especially when they are settled,"_ she heard her father say in her mind.

As she slowly backed away, restraining herself from attacking further,Feng Wei noticed it. He saw the hatred grow in her eyes as she stood over him, and then saw it slowly fade away as she backed away from him. Although he was a vindictive man, Feng Wei knew when he was defeated and when to show respect, so, after he got to his feet, he gave Asuka a humble bow. Still slightly seething, Asuka hesitated a moment after Feng Wei's gesture, but eventually remembered her training and returned the bow. With that, Feng Wei silently left the area.

Now turning her attention back to her original goal, Asuka reassured herself, thinking, "_Well, that's one wrong righted, but now onto bigger problems. It's time to take on the biggest threat to my family: … Jin Kazama."_

End Chapter

**Next Time: **___"… He's going through the same thing his father went through years ago. But, this time is going to end better than the last time; Jin's going to have help from me. He just needs someone to help him remember who he really is, and fight whatever is controlling him. I know the real Jin is still there; I just know it."_

__

_**A/N:**_** First off, I know I didn't give the location of Feng Wei vs. Asuka, but it didn't really have any significance to the story (and I'm running out of Tekken 6 stages). Also, it seemed like it took forever for me to finish this one. Anyway, I hope you like it, please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.**


	6. Misguided innocence or Last saving grace

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken_

_**A/N**_**: Alright, we're starting to get down to business now. This chapter is the last character spotlight, so this is probably the last chapter with this format although I may be mistaken. Anyway, we've seen one heroine, and now we'll feature the other. Please enjoy. **

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash

Chapter five- Ling Xiaoyu: Misguided innocence or The Last Saving Grace

Ling Xiaoyu was never one to give up on someone who needed her help, never has been, never will be. Xiao, as she likes to be referred to, was always ready to assist those in need, lending a helping hand where she could, all with a smile on her face. She was especially adamant about helping her friends, and, as such, she would never give up on the one guy that she … Well, to keep it short, there was no chance that she was giving up on Jin Kazama. Although this was always a goal of hers, a setback in its path to completion made Xiaoyu realize that she had not worked at the objective as seriously as she should; she recognized that if she were to help Jin overcome what was ailing him, she would have to put everything on the line to do so, a rather daunting cost indeed. Xiaoyu however set out for the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 willing to pay it. But, she never was one to just quit on a friend especially him; it wasn't her nature.

_**Quote it, saying, "Nevermore" **_

Ling Xiaoyu was set to fight in her third round match when she was placed in the 'Urban War Zone'; as soon as she landed, she couldn't stop looking at the area in utter, speechless disbelief. The street itself was brutally cracked, nearly uprooted by fighting and the large war tank stationed on one end of the area. Large columns of smoke, dust, and debris could be seen in the distance, rising from twisted heaps that one could only assume were once buildings. Numerous helicopters flew overhead as if surveying the bleak havoc of this place. Xiaoyu just observed this miserable region with a mournful eye, but, little did she know, that far away on a high perch in the shadows, someone was watching her.

Surprised to see her in particular, the person said to himself, "She actually came back? Why is she still around?"

Then, with a single, powerful leap, the person jumped from his platform toward the area. Still awestruck by the devastation, Xiaoyu noticed that the tank was of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and a depressing thought ran through her mind as she contemplated the ruin.

"_This is horrible. Could Jin really have … He must be worse off than I thought,_" Xiaoyu gloomily thought.

Suddenly, the person who was watching her from afar deftly landed behind her, causing her to quickly spin around in surprise. As he stood, Xiaoyu recognized his dark sunglasses, the ninja body suit he was wearing, the X-shaped scar on his face; this was Raven from the last tournament. He was her next opponent.

The announcer's voice then blasted through the area, "_Raven, Ling Xiaoyu, get ready for the next battle."_

Looking at her with a critical eye, Raven folded his arms across his chest as he said, "It's you again. I see you didn't heed my warning."

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't just walk away," Xiaoyu plainly replied.

Raven, his serious stare still present, then inquired, "Before we begin, just grant me one question: why are you back in this tournament?"

Xiaoyu braced herself as she answered confidently, "I'm here for the same reason as last time: I going to save my friend, Jin and his family."

Raven scoffed at the comment, and replied, "Still chasing the impossible as before."

Xiaoyu then sternly said. "Yes, my aspiration is difficult, but it's not impossible."

Raven then heartlessly continued, "And still naïve as ever. It's like I told you the last time, and it's even more true now: there's no hope for that god-forsaken family, least of all Jin Kazama. He's lost to his exploits now.

Unwilling to accept them and disagreeing with the comments, Xiaoyu shook her head in protest and said, "No, you're wrong about Jin. You don't know him like I do. He's not as bad as you say he is; he's not a monster."

Raven, irritated by Xiaoyu's persistence but trying to explain, replied, "Listen; it's obvious you have feelings for him, but it's clouding your judgment. Just look around us for example; this is all his doing. His actions have shown him much worse that you perceive him. Tell me, would the Jin you know cause such ruin?"

Understanding how Raven viewed the situation but still defending Jin, Xiaoyu passionately said, "Jin is … not himself right now. He's going through the same thing that his father went through years ago. But, this time is going to end better than the last time; Jin is going to have help from me. He just needs someone to help him remember who he really is, and fight whatever is controlling him. I know the real Jin is still there; I just know it."

Raven, sensing and slightly impressed by the conviction in her voice but still skeptical himself, then replied, "Whether you're right or not, I still doubt you're strong enough to achieve your undertaking. Then, if by some wild chance you do succeed, you'll probably die doing it. You are not on my mission agenda, but, because part of it is keeping casualties down, I'll have to defeat you anyway. It's time for you to go back home."

And with no more words needed, both fighters assumed their fighting stances, ready to begin.

On cue, the announcer's voice then resounded through the area, "_Round 1! Fight!"_

Raven was not excited about fighting Xiaoyu again, so, hoping to end it quickly, he fought intently, but Xiaoyu quickly demonstrated that her rigorous training since the last tournament had paid off. Her reaction time had greatly increased to where she could see and adjust to attack with ease. Though she was elusive before, she was even more so now, utilizing her many stances to their highest effectiveness and effortlessly switching between them on a whim. All of this greatly helped her stay ahead of Raven while she chipped away at him with her attacks. Xiaoyu's talent was on full display during one particular exchange: She sidestepped around one of his kicks with a 'Hypnotist', created some distance and dodged one of his strikes with a transition into 'Rain Dance', cleverly flew over Raven's subsequent dash with a 'Back Layout', and then ducked under his following attack with an immediate 'Phoenix'. Instantly afterwards, Xiaoyu knocked him into the air with a rising, triple spin kick, a well-timed 'Phoenix Talon', and, as he floated in the air, she finished him with a front-flipping heel drop, a 'Crescent Moon Kick', that slammed him hard into the ground.

"_Ling Xiaoyu wins"_ the announcer's voice then echoed through the area.

As he sat up and looked at Xiaoyu, who was maintaining her fighting stance, Raven thought in disbelief, "_She's gotten better; she's a lot faster and stronger than the last time. She also appears much more serious as well. It seems I've underestimated her; I didn't expect this at all. This requires a change of plans." _

Raven then kipped up to his feet, and reassumed his fighting stance, ready to do battle with her again.

Just then, the announcer's voice resonated through the area, _"Round 2! Fight!"_

Adjusting to his recognition of Xiaoyu's newfound expertise, Raven began to use his strategy designed exclusively for 'high-skill' opponents, utilizing his thorough ability to ground an opponent, and his many traps. With a brand-new strategy to deal with, Xiaoyu was taken off guard initially, but, showcasing another acquired ability, she managed to adjust just enough to stand toe-to-toe with Raven. Finally, Raven displayed a brand-new attack where he moves so fast, he leaves an after-image before delivering a kick to his opponent. Whether she reacted out of instinct or thought not even Xiaoyu herself knew, but, as Raven came flying toward her, she instantaneously dropped down into 'Phoenix' stance, causing him to soar right over her, and, just as he landed behind her, rose back up in her 'Rain Dance' stance. Completely dumbfounding Raven by dodging, just as he turned to face her, Xiaoyu struck him with two back-handed chops and a reverse kick, her trademark 'Dark and Stormy' arrangement. Landing this move on him, Xiaoyu pulled off an improbable win and an even more surprising sweep.

"_Ling Xiaoyu wins! Please proceed to the next stage,_" the announcer's voice then blasted over the area.

Raven slowly sat up and saw Xiaoyu making a hand gesture toward him. She had raised two of her fingers to form a 'V'; this was her 'victory' sign.

With a voice not the least bit sarcastic, Xiaoyu then said, "Thanks for your concern, Raven-sama, but I'm still pretty strong, you know."

Leaving with those words, Xiaoyu turned and began to leave as Raven got to his feet. Raven just watched in astonishment as she exited the area. He couldn't believe that she was the same girl he'd fought only a short time before then.

With the whole fight still running through his mind, Raven thought to himself, "_Incredible! She fought better then I could've ever anticipated. To think she got so much stronger in just a few months."_

Suddenly, a connection came into Raven's earpiece; it was Raven's superior on the other end. He swiftly raised his hand to his earpiece to take the transmission.

"Raven, report. What is your status," Raven's superior questioned.

Raven straightforwardly replied, "There's been a change of plans; I'll be continuing my investigation indirectly through reconnaissance.

There was a brief pause on the other end until Raven's superior finally said, "Very well; carry on. Ending transmission."

The connection was then discontinued with a succinct CLICK! Raven then turned his attention back to what had just transpired.

As he thought back over his fight, Raven mentally noted, "_This girl, Ling Xiaoyu was it? I'll definitely have to keep a close eye on her. If she keeps fighting the way she fought me … she __might actually_ _have a chance of accomplishing what she set out to do."_

--

_**Prevailing Friendship or Lasting Rivalry?**_

Arriving by boat, Xiaoyu arrived at the 'Noh Theater', and immediately she thought it looked familiar. The area was a semi-dark, candlelit wooden theater with a Buddha statue on one side and waves crashing up on the floor on another. Eventually, she realized that this place at least resembled the place where Jin used to train, and a brief wave of nostalgia washed over her. However, the rush of feelings quickly ceased when she spotted her opponent. Partially turned away from her, there stood a young man wearing a white martial arts gi with blue trim, an open gi shirt, and had tangerine-orange hair; he also seemed to be Korean based on his physical features. As she advanced toward him, he seemed to finally notice her, and turned his attention to her. Examining her lithe frame, young features, and cutesy appearance, Hwoarang mentally groaned at the prospect of facing 'some Japanese schoolgirl'.

Hwoarang asked Xiaoyu in a biting tone, "So which 'idol' are you supposed to be? J-pop or gravure?"

Xiaoyu, familiar with the terminology but taken aback by the question, uncertainly replied, "Uhh … what are you talking about? I don't look like those girls at all."

Hwoarang simply rolled his eyes, and sarcastically replied, "Yeah, you're right; I don't know how I could have mistaken."

Suddenly, the announcer's voice reverberated through the area, "_Hwoarang, Ling Xiaoyu, get ready for the next battle."_

Recognizing the name and suddenly remembering a picture she was shown, Xiaoyu stated, "Hwoarang?! Oh, I thought you looked familiar. You're Jin's rival, right?"

Hwoarang, also recognizing her name, apathetically replied, "Yeah. And you're Ling Xiaoyu. Kazama has mentioned you a couple of times; Are you his girlfriend or something?"

Although Hwoarang didn't really care about Xiaoyu's answer, he'd unknowingly tapped into one of Xiaoyu's hidden secrets. She'd never considered herself Jin's girlfriend although she'd thought about it numerous times. Unbeknownst to her, this fact was much more obvious than she considered, and the fact that someone had actually called her on it sent her into an intrapersonal, frenzied panic.

"N-No. I'm not … Jin's girlfriend," Xiaoyu apprehensively replied and followed with an extremely nervous chuckle.

Definitely sensing her anxiety, Hwoarang slightly pressed the issue inquiring, "So you're telling me you haven't missed him after not seeing for so long?"

Xiaoyu, answering from her heart, quickly defended, "Oh, I didn't say that." She then hesitated before shyly admitting, "I have missed him."

Hwoarang easily caught her feelings, and callously said, "Well, I've got news for you. You won't see Kazama during this tournament; he's mine."

Misunderstanding his intention, Xiaoyu innocently asked, "You want the bounty on Jin's head, too?"

Hwoarang then calmly explained, "Actually, the money will just be extra; I really only want to kick Kazama's butt. I just never thought I would be doing the world a favor when I did it."

Xiaoyu, noting his assurance and the assumption in his voice, kindly retorted, "Hey, don't overlook me. I trained really hard for this tournament, and I'm not going to just go down very easily."

Hwoarang then sarcastically asked, "Is that right," and posed the question, "And do you think _you_ can beat Kazama?"

Xiaoyu stopped cold with that inquiry; she had never considered that outcome. Up to that point, all Xiaoyu could think about was getting to Jin, but she never once contemplated that she would actually have to _fight_ Jin. The very idea of it made a chill run down her spine.

Hwoarang, sensing her trepidation and not waiting for an answer, then confidently proclaimed, "Well, while you're making up your mind, Kazama still owes me a fight, and I know I can beat him."

After her brief silence, Xiaoyu strongly replied, "Whether I can beat Jin or not, I'm not sure, but I know I have to do everything I can to reach him. Since that means I have go through you, that's just what I have to do."

Hwoarang simply brushed off Xiaoyu's declaration, and mockingly jabbed, "Oh, I'm really scared now; I'm just shaking in my knees."

Really tired of Hwoarang's comments at this point, Xiaoyu angrily fired at him, "Keep joking, but don't be surprised when I knock you flat on your back."

Even Xiaoyu herself took a step back when the words came out of her mouth. In truth, she'd only heard other people say stuff like that. She couldn't believe she'd actually said something of that nature. Hwoarang, use to threats of that kind already, was not at all intimidated by it, but he saw she at least had some gall in her.

Hwoarang then snarled, "That's a pretty bold statement, but I'm still …"

Hwoarang quickly stopped himself as he weathered his anger. Realizing what he was about to engage in, Hwoarang quickly grew disgusted with the conversation, letting out a frustrated sigh as the understanding hit him.

"I don't believe this; I'm about to argue with a girl over Kazama," Hwoarang griped before indifferently saying, "So, in light of that, let's just end this conversation."

Xiaoyu, still wanting to explain herself, voiced, "I'm sorry. I'm just tired of everyone automatically underestimating me. It seems like they take one look at me and immediately assume I can't fight at all."

Hwoarang then impatiently asserted as he scratched the back of his head, "Whatever. Let's just get this fight started."

Knowing her cries had fallen on deaf ears, Xiaoyu with slight discouragement assumed her fighting stance, and Hwoarang confidently assumed his stance.

The announcer's voice then blasted through the area, "_Round 1! Fight!" _

As soon as the round started, Hwoarang came out with his feet up, legs kicking. Very quickly, after outlasting several of his kicking barrages, Xiaoyu picked up on several holes in his strategy: a lot of his kicks were high and linear, an ideal situation for someone like herself who could dance around their opponent. With that knowledge, Xiaoyu played to her strengths and began to 'fight around' him. In essence, she used her 'Hypnotist' to nimbly maneuver around him, and ducked into 'Phoenix' to go under his high kicks. With Xiaoyu completely avoiding his strikes, Hwoarang quickly became aggravated, and, just as is always the case with him, his effectiveness dramatically lowered, with his attacks becoming more errant, erratic, and thus easier to dodge. Then, when Hwoarang least expected it, Xiaoyu suddenly rose above one of his high attacks, exhibiting some impressive jumping skills on her part, and, before he could even react, she delivered three rapid-fire kicks right to his face, an impressive 'Shooting Star'; the accompanying force gave her enough stability to flip backwards effortlessly onto her feet, and knock him backwards onto his head.

"_Ling Xiaoyu wins," _the announcer's voice then boomed through the area.

As he stood to his feet, Hwoarang mentally asserted, "_Okay, I saw what she did; yeah, I've got something for her. I won't lose; I can't lose … especially not to her."_

Hwoarang then strongly reassumed his fighting stance as Xiaoyu calmly reassumed her.

The announcer's voice then echoed through the area, "_Round 2! Fight!_"

Playing on Xiaoyu's tendency to drop into 'Phoenix', Hwoarang began the round by throwing out all high kicks, and, when she grew accustomed to using her low stance, he hit her with his attacks that start high but quickly slam down, crushing her; this strategy was particularly effective when Hwoarang used his 'Tsunami Kick' and especially his favorite new move, 'Bloody Guillotine', a jumping axe kick. Xiaoyu was put off-guard by Hwoarang's procedure, but, just as she did in the previous struggle, she managed to adjust enough to stay competitive. After some time, Xiaoyu managed to surprise Hwoarang with her trademark forward palm thrust, a 'Storming Flower', that knocked him a good distance backward. Reacting quickly, Hwoarang rolled through to his feet, and saw Xiaoyu giving him a 'Salute'. Hwoarang, taking it as a taunt and not knowing it was just a habit of hers, rapidly grew incensed, jumped up to his feet, and approached her with his right leg raised in his 'Right Flamingo Stance'. Xiaoyu recognized it as one of his high stances, but hesitated maneuvering because of his earlier plans. As Hwoarang got closer, Xiaoyu decided to guess and dropped down into 'Phoenix' stance. Still livid, Hwoarang swiftly countered with a brief forward shift, building an orange aura around his lower body, and floated over into an axe kick, a 'Power Blast'. Xiaoyu looked up just in time to see it coming, but, this time, she wasn't fast enough to evade. The force of the kick bounced Xiaoyu's body off the ground, pushing a cry of distress out of her mouth.

"_Hwoarang wins,"_ the announcer's voice then reverberated through the area.

Xiaoyu quickly regained herself as she jumped up to her feet, and reassumed her fighting stance; Hwoarang retained his fighting stance, ready to keep the fight moving.

The announcer's voice then resonated through the area, "_Final round! Fight!" _

Deciding to use a different approach, Xiaoyu quickly caught Hwoarang by surprise by fighting vertically, only using 'Rain Dance' outside of her default position. She was mildly successful in her attempt, but Hwoarang ultimately proved more effective with this method. He then knocked her down, and, feeling victory within his grasp, Hwoarang made a condescending remark.

"I knew it; I knew you couldn't beat me," Hwoarang smugly said.

Greatly aggravated by his verbal assumption, Xiaoyu jumped up to her feet as he advanced, and skillfully stepped around his following hit with her 'Hypnotist'. Suddenly, she dropped down to the ground, twisting her body and gathering a streak of lightning in her arms, and then, using her own body's resistance for momentum, uncoiled to deliver a fierce downward chop, her 'Thunder Strike', to Hwoarang, a shower of yellow sparks flying through the air upon impact. Hwoarang slammed into the ground with enough force to crack it.

"_Ling Xiaoyu wins! Please advance to the next stage," _the announcer's voice then rang out through the area.

Understandably upset, Hwoarang mentally raged as he sat up, "_D-- it. I can't believe I lost to some … nekomusume!_"

Hwoarang stopped midway up to see Xiaoyu standing right in front of him, giving him her 'Victory' sign.

"Told ya not to underestimate me," Xiaoyu triumphantly said.

Hwoarang stared at her in speechless disbelief as she turned and left the area.

"_You've gotta be kidding me. I lost to her_" Hwoarang thought to himself.

--

Now in transition, Xiaoyu was the epitome of euphoria as a wave of rapture continually washed over her. Her joy was so immense that the emotion almost didn't fit in her body. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face.

As she was lead to the area boundary station to await her transition vehicle, Xiaoyu blissfully thought, "_I did it! I'm almost to the end now. I've never gotten this far before; all that extra training must have paid off. I'm practically guaranteed to meet him now. Hang on just a little longer, Jin-kun; I'm coming!'_

Inside the boundary station, Xiaoyu immediately heard the commotion of what sounded like a television. After a brief search, she came upon a television airing a live broadcast of the tournament where a match was just starting. Deciding to watch, Xiaoyu set herself in front of the set, and quickly realized that it was a match between Kazuya and 'Grandpa' Heihachi.

End Chapter

**Next Time: ** "_You two are last possible hope for mankind now. You must go! Now, run!"_

_**A/N: **_**It just seemed like something was always getting in my way while I was typing this chapter. Anyway,**__**that was the last of the character spotlights. Next, we get down to it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you come back again. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.**


	7. As the Worst Draws Near

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken_

_**A/N: **_**As promised, we're getting down to the wire. However, this is, in all odds, going to be the longest chapter in the whole story. But, I hope I can keep you reading and excited throughout the whole thing. Please, stay with me. Anyway, let's get to it!**

The King of the Iron Fist Tournament 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash

The Semi-Finals: As the Worst Draws Near

Outside the Tournament Waiting Station, where the fighters lingered while the venues for their fights were prepared, two suited underlings flanked the main entrance, silent and stoic. Suddenly, one of them picked up a call on his headset, causing him to raise his arm to his ear to receive it.

"Have you located the girl," the man's boss asked impatiently.

The grunt respectfully replied, "She's en route to our location as we speak, sir."

After a moment of silence, the mysterious boss growled, "Good. I've grown tired of competing in this tournament. No more of this run-around. Take the girl and make sure she doesn't get to the next round, and, if she starts acting up, get rid of her! Understood?!"

The grunt only obediently responded, "Yes, sir," and the transmission ended with a concise CLICK!

Immediately afterwards, the second grunt tapped the first on the shoulder, spotting the vehicle stopping at the end of the path and seeing three people exit.

"Here she comes," the second suited underling softly announced to his partner.

Flanked on both sides by two more suited underlings, a young Chinese woman with her long, black hair tied into two pig-tails on the side of her head, and her vibrant brown eyes full of concern and discouragement came walking up the path to the building.

Surprised by her gentle appearance, the first grunt quietly voiced it to his cohort, "_That _girl made it to the semi-finals?"

The second grunt, hearing the surprise in his co-worker's voice, replied with a whisper, "Yeah. I've seen her fight; she's good … very good."

The first suit was silent for a moment, seemingly sizing her up, until verbally concluding, "I could take her."

Not entertaining the first's comment, the second changed the subject, saying, "I don't know, but save that for later. We've got a job to do."

--

_**Chance Meeting**_

Xiaoyu, still a little down after watching the 'Kazuya vs. Heihachi' match, was escorted through the building to a 'Transition Room' to await for her next match to take place, but she quickly stopped in the door; the girl that looks just like … her was already there, sitting solemnly, quietly, eagerly. Xiaoyu, trying not to seem stunned, took a seat next the young woman without a word. Then, as both continued to sit in silence, Xiaoyu found herself tempted to look at her, to compare her to the woman she closely resembled. She tried to keep herself from staring, but every time she pulled her eyes away, they found their way back to this girl. Although she acted as if she didn't, Asuka definitely noticed this Chinese girl's strange behavior towards her.

Trying to be courteous despite her growing annoyance, Asuka turned to the Chinese maiden and asked, "Excuse me, but is something wrong? Is there something on my face? I mean, what's going on?"

Xiaoyu, knowing she'd been spotted, nervously apologized, "Oh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare; sorry for bothering you."

Asuka, less irritated after the girl's reaction, then inquired, "It's alright, but what … what were you looking at?"

Xiaoyu hesitatingly explained, "It's just that you … look like someone I used to know. You look a lot like her."

Asuka understood now; she caught the 'used to know' in the statement. Being considerate, Asuka decided to introduce herself.

"Okay, now I see. Well, I'm Asuka," she said graciously as she extended her hand.

Xiaoyu lit up at the offer of a new friend, and happily replied, "Hello, Asuka-chan, I'm Ling Xiaoyu, but you can just call me Xiao."

As she said that, Xiaoyu merrily returned Asuka's handshake and flashed a smile so infectious that Asuka found herself smiling.

--

Meanwhile, the venue for Ling Xiaoyu's battle was ready, and two tournament escorts were sent to take her to the location. However, as they began making their way to her, they were suddenly snatched into a dark corner. Sounds of a brief struggle could barely be heard in the darkness, and, after a moment, the escorts were unconscious. Then, from the shadows, the two suited underlings from before emerged and began approaching the 'Transition Room'.

--

Wanting to know more about her new friend, Xiaoyu cheerfully asked, "So, Asuka-chan, what brings you to this tournament?"

Suddenly, Asuka turned serious as she replied with quiet intensity, "I'm here to pummel that _baka_ cousin of mine. He's hurting a lot of people, not to mention bringing shame to our family."

Noting Asuka's sincerity, Xiaoyu said in awe, "Wow; that sounds serious."

"It is," Asuka said before calmly inquiring, "Now, what about you?"

Xiaoyu turned slightly dejected as she replied unconfidently, "Me? I'm here to rescue a good friend of mine. He's in big trouble, and I need to save him before it's too late."

Asuka, struck by how serious Xiaoyu's goal was, asked, "Really? What kind of trouble is he in?"

With memories of the brutal showing from Heihachi and Kazuya still rampaging through her mind, Xiaoyu grew even sadder as she unconfidently said, "He's being held captive by something … terrible. He just hasn't been himself. I just need to remind him and I know everything will be good again … I hope."

Asuka sympathetically said, "Wow, that sounds awful."

Xiaoyu, with doubt evident in her voice, said, "Yes, it's pretty bad. Also, I use to be certain, but I'm … I'm not so sure if I can save him anymore."

Hearing that, Asuka suddenly had a thought. She was going up against arguably the most powerful man on earth. When they fight, could she really defeat him? And even if she could, would it really stop him?

Sympathizing with Xiaoyu's statement, Asuka gently said, "Tell me about it. I'm not so sure I can beat my cousin when he face."

Xiaoyu paused, but lit up again with excitement as she happily offered, "Hey, I've got an idea. If I help you fight your cousin, will you help me save my friend? We can definitely accomplish our goals if we work together. So, what do say?"

Asuka was surprised as Xiaoyu extended her hand with a smile on her face. She seemed serious about it; she was actually offering help to someone she barely knew and she didn't even ask who Asuka's cousin was. Ultimately, however, she had a point, and she looked trustworthy. Asuka, in the end, gave Xiaoyu a smile of her own, and returned the handshake.

"It sounds good. It's a deal," Asuka gladly replied.

Just then, the two grunts from before reached the room with one entering the room, and the other standing in the door.

"Ling Xiaoyu, it's time for your match," the first suit monotonously said.

As she followed the two suited underlings out, Xiaoyu turned back, cheerfully saying to her new friend, "Talk to you later, Asuka-chan; good luck in your match."

Asuka, as she smiled and waved at the departing Xiaoyu, "Good luck, Xiao-chan; see ya later."

--

A mass announcement goes out to all watching the live satellite television feed:

_It's been a long journey, we're finally here with the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 semi-finals! The four best fighters in this year's tournament have emerged, and will continue to battle to be named the World Champion. If you thought the action up to this point was intense, you haven't seen anything yet! Are you ready?! Are you excited?!_ _Then, let's get started! Your two semifinal matches are: __**Ling Xiaoyu vs. Kazuya Mishima**__ and __**Asuka Kazama vs. Jin Kazama**__. So to, our final four combatants and all those watching, Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready for the next battle!!_

--

_**Innocent against Evil**_

As soon as she entered the transport ship, Xiaoyu noticed something strange; she could remember ever seeing one as big as the one she was on. But, before she could think about it further, the ship rumbled to a start, and was on its way. Over time, Xiaoyu figured that the semifinals just garnered bigger treatment, but then she noticed that this trip was taking a lot longer than it had ever taken in the previous rounds. Bored with just sitting, Xiaoyu walked to the front of the ship, looking over the side as the pristine blue ocean water elegantly passed by. As she admired the picturesque scene, Xiaoyu suddenly was jerked forward by the ship coming to an immediate 

halt. Not sure what was going on, she quickly scanned the area around the ship, and, to her surprise, saw no land even on the horizon.

Investigating a bit further, Xiaoyu leaned over the side while being carefully to not lean too far, hoping to see some kind of clue as to what was happening, and then noticed the large **'G'** painted on the side of the ship. Now, Xiaoyu was panicking. She wasn't on a Mishima Zaibatsu ship; she was on a G Corporation ship. She first thought she'd gotten on the wrong ship by mistake, but quickly dismissed it when she remembered she had followed her two escorts all the way on to the ship. In any case, she knew she had to get off the ship, but, before she could form a plan of escape, six metallic CLICKs rang out behind her, sending a cold chill down her spine as she slowly turned around. Standing across from her were six suited G corporation minions, their guns loaded and aimed at her.

As he slowly approached her, the tallest suit plainly said, "Don't move; we were told to merely delay you, but, if you resist, we will not cease to fire."

Not far from Xiaoyu now, the tall suit stopped, his gun still pointed right at her heart. Xiaoyu, despite her own unbelievable dread, quickly noted the position of each grunt and came up with a plan of action.

The tall suit then continued, "Just relax, and this won't end painfully."

Suddenly, the tall suit's phone rang, causing him to take his attention off Xiaoyu, and, in a moment that comparable to a lightning strike, Xiaoyu took a powerful step forward, and slammed him with a 'Storming Flower', sending him flying backwards until he crashed into the suit right behind him, incapacitating them both. As the remaining four suits were distracted by the quick action, Xiaoyu eliminated the suit closest suit to her with a strong, sidestepping sweep, a 'Phoenix Tail', and took out the grunt beside him with a quick rising kick, her 'Barrel Shotgun'. Just as the next underling turned around, Xiaoyu grabbed his shooting arm, twisted it, and flipped him behind her with a 'Dislocater' throw, dispatching him and disarming him at the same time. Unfortunately, this last move put her a good distance away from the last grunt with not enough time to attack, so she reacted instinctively by pointing the gun in her hands at him as he turned and pointed his gun at her. A standoff ensued, but it wasn't a very good one; Xiaoyu had never held a gun before, so she was understandably uncomfortable holding one in such a high pressure situation: her hands wouldn't stop shaking, and the gun itself felt like it weighed a ton.

Sensing her unwieldiness with a firearm, the last grunt held out his free hand, and persuaded Xiaoyu, "Alright, girl, we both know you can't fire that gun, so just hand it over. This game of yours is all finished now. Just put the gun in my hand."

The man then slowly approached her with his hand still outstretched. As he stopped in front of her, Xiaoyu knew he was right as she allowed the gun to force her hands down. As she looked at the deck of the ship, away from the man's face, she slowly placed the gun in his open hand, but, as he tried to pull away, he was stunned to find out he couldn't; Xiaoyu was holding his wrist. Then, before he could even point his gun at her, Xiaoyu surprised him with a Jumping spin kick, a 'Dragonfly', flipping him over his side and defeating the last of her foes. Xiaoyu's spur-of-the-moment ploy worked.

Just as Xiaoyu began looking for a way off the ship, the tallest suit pulled a remote out of his jacket as he said to himself, "Time for Plan B."

With that, he pressed the button, and rolled out of the way. Suddenly, the Captain's tower exploded with such force that it knocked Xiaoyu right of her feet. As she came to, she saw the six underlings run to the only rescue boat on the ship and drop over the side to the water below, and, as she got to her feet, she found out why. A small army of Jack-5s came tunneling out the now-destroyed and smoking Captain's tower, and she was their target. Rapidly, they surrounded her and began attacking. With furious and frantic speed, Xiaoyu began to fight them off, destroying them one by one only to be greeted by more coming out right behind them. Then, just as she was defeating one Jack-5, another managed to come up behind her without her noticing. Xiaoyu spun around just as it was bringing both fists down upon her, and she quickly shut her eyes as she braced herself for impact. After a moment when the blow didn't come, Xiaoyu slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see its arms stopped in mid-air, and sitting on its shoulders was an Egyptian-looking woman holding the Jack-5's now-severed head.

Knowing she couldn't just let the end of the world come to pass, Zafina figured that if she couldn't stop Jin Kazama, she might be able to stop Kazuya Mishima. So, she stowed away on this G Corporation ship in hopes of encountering him, but to her surprise it was only a Jack-5 transportation ship. She was going to get off, but, before she could sneak away, the ship began moving, forcing her to go along with it. She had managed to stay hidden until the explosion and all the Jack-5s suddenly activated. Thinking they would attack her on sight, Zafina readied herself, but was shocked when they all started ignoring her, simply filing past her. Curious as to where they were going, she followed them only to be stunned to find them all fighting one Chinese girl. With nowhere else to go herself and not wanting this girl to just be massacred, Zafina decided to help her.

As the Egyptian woman tossed the Jack head aside and jumped down from the now-crumbling Jack body, Xiaoyu gratefully asked, "Thank you so much. Who are you?"

"I'm Zafina," she replied before quickly changing the focus, "but that's not important now. We must focus on surviving for the time being."

"Right," Xiaoyu quickly answered just as another wave of Jack-5s came from inside the ship.

--

Meanwhile, at the arena, Kazuya waited silently with his arms crossed. He'd actually arrived a time ago, but Ling Xiaoyu had yet to be even heard from. In the meantime, the tournament staff was frantically searching for her, and a deadline was put in place. Finally, as the deadline slowly passed, the announcement went out.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the delay and this unfortunate development_," the announcer's voice rang out through the area, "_Due to absence of Ling Xiaoyu, the winner of this match by default is Kazuya Mishima. Please proceed to the final stage."_

As he uncrossed his arms and began to make his exit, an evil smile crept onto Kazuya's face. His plan had worked to perfection…

--

_**Kazama conflict: Is **__**she**__** here?**_

Jin was speechless, cast into a state of stunned stupor by the equivalent of a Lucid Dream. Across from him stood a younger version of the one person he'd never thought he'd see again; from her brown hair to her posture to the all-too-familiar white band in her hair, this young woman was almost a near mirror image of the lost lady. Even in the dark area of 'Gargoyle's Perch', surrounded by gothic statues, shadowy structures, twisted formations, she seemed to be giving off a subtle, white glow.

Suddenly, the announcer's voice rang out through the area, "_Asuka Kazama, Jin Kazama, get ready for the next battle!"_

"Finally, I get to meet you face-to-face," Asuka said, not noticing Jin's reaction to her.

Still in a state of shock, Jin stammered shakily, "… W-Who … who are you?"

"I'm the one who has to stop you," Asuka assertively replied before continuing with extra authority in her voice, "You're a morally-bankrupt, depraved terrorist, oppressing just about the whole world; you're a disgusting shame to our entire family especially … your mother, Jun."

The very mention of his mother plunged Jin into something akin to terror, causing him to weakly ask, "… H-How do you know my mother?"

Asuka took a step forward, and strongly replied, "I'm Asuka Kazama … her niece!"

In complete disbelief, Jin could only manage to whisper, "… W-What??"

At that moment, Jin felt as if something was compressing his heart, a sharp pain rising in his chest. Right behind it, Jin's developed a pulsing headache so incredible that it felt as if his temples would blast right out of his skull. Outwardly, Jin went pale, and looked nauseous. While it seemed as if Asuka's words had merely struck him, in truth, the entire encounter had woken up the good part of Jin that had been lying dormant ever since his battle with his great-grandfather, Jinpachi Mishima. His current illness was a side-effect of a desperate attempt to break the bonds that the Devil had on his soul.

Ignorant to all of this, Asuka asked indignantly, "What's wrong? You seemed surprised?"

As Asuka started to talk again, the pain suddenly grew harsh enough to cause Jin to actually hold his head with his hands. Tortured by the aching, Jin could only grit his teeth in anguish.

Asuka, thinking her words where getting through, continued to taunt Jin, saying, "Or maybe all of your crimes are catching up to you."

Still struggling with himself, Jin replied with a harsh whisper, "Shut up!"

"What?! Does it hurt to know you're a villain, a criminal," Asuka responded to Jin's weak command before firmly lashing back, "Does it hurt to know my aunt, your mother would be _sickened_ if she could see you now?"

Suddenly, in a violent outburst, Jin shouted at Asuka, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!!"

Both Kazamas then assumed their fighting stances.

The announcer's voice then blasted through the area, "_Round 1! Fight!"_

Asuka owned the first round. Jin was still suffering from his internal struggle, and his abilities suffered as well; he was slower, and he couldn't put as much as power into his attack as he usually could. Asuka, not giving him as inch, easily took advantage of Jin's weakened state, dominating his errant strikes and punishing his lacking offense. Frustrated with his ineffectiveness, Jin's struggle began to halt as the evil within started to regain control due his growing anger and aggravation. When the second round started, Jin came screaming back, pushing through his strife through sheer will and fury. As such, Jin's tactics became unpredictable and erratic, giving Asuka more than a hard way to go. Ultimately, Jin narrowly subjects her to defeat. While she was regaining herself, Jin managed to dispatch the rest of his 'illness' as his evil side regained most of his control. Not fighting himself any longer, Jin reverted back to his regular fighting strategy as the third and final round began. This round was very even throughout, the tide of momentum constantly shifting back and forth like waves during a violent storm, until the entire fight came down to the wire.

Jin and Asuka knew they couldn't go on much longer; they had beaten each other senseless the whole fight, and it was starting to take its toll. As they stared each other down, trying to catch their breath, they knew that their next attacks would probably be their last, and they had to make them count. Asuka and Jin then both dashed backwards a bit, to give themselves enough space. Asuka spun towards Jin once; Jin stood up straight as he held one arm out in front of him. Asuka spun a second time, gathering a green aura around her lower body; Jin channeled his power in to his fist, red lightning crackling fiercely around him. Asuka spun one last time, translating the momentum into her 'Spinning Heel Drop'; Jin took a powerful step forward, thrusting his 'Avenger' ahead. Next, in a split-second, both fighters went spiraling backwards, a cloud of green smoke and red sparks flying through the air where both attacks collided. An incredible, unbelievable silence grew through the area as both fighters laid on their backs until …

"_Jin Kazama wins! Please proceed to the final stage," _the announcer's voice resounded through the area as Jin slowly rose to his feet.

Jin, without a further word, began exiting the area.

Pushing through the still present pain in her chest, Asuka called out as she got to her feet, "Hey! Wait! I'm not done with you yet."

Jin didn't hesitate or even turn back; he just kept walking. Asuka, now completely ignoring her aching, quickly ran up beside him.

"You're really just gonna turn your back on your family? Just like that" Asuka angrily accosted Jin.

Again, Jin completely ignored her, not turning his head toward her or even acknowledging her presence; he just kept walking. Asuka, not one who liked being ignored, angrily ran ahead, turned in front of him, and held him back with both her hands.

"Stop and listen to me, you jackass! You can't just …" Asuka furiously began before …

Suddenly, a bright, white formless aura began to emanate from Asuka, and illuminate the area, effectively getting both Kazamas attention. As they looked at each other in confusion and fright, neither sure of what was going on, the pristine essence seemed to come out of Asuka and enter Jin's body. Almost immediately, Jin had a similar but much more intense reaction that he had in the beginning of the match. For the first time in months, Jin, the good side of Jin, was somewhat free; the chains the Devil had wrapped around Jin's soul had loosened. Outwardly, Jin appeared even worse than before, holding his head tightly with both hands against his temples, his eyes fiercely shut, his teeth barred, which caused Asuka to worriedly back away from him and allow him to drop to his knees in torment. Nevertheless, while he had some time, Jin desperately called out to the light surrounding him.

Suddenly, as Asuka listened on in horror, Jin said in a grisly, twistedly-tormented tone, "… Help … meeee …"

Asuka had never heard someone speak like that; it was like something out of a nightmare. However, she could easily sense his anguish, and, despite everything, he was still her cousin and she couldn't just let him suffer like he was. Not sure what to do, Asuka hesitantly approached him again as she gingerly reached for him.

"What's happening to you? I don't know … how to …" Asuka said to Jin, concern heavy in her voice.

However, though there was a much-fiercer struggle taking place, Jin's evil side was still in control. Seeing her reaching out, Jin swatted her hand away before she could touch him again. Suddenly, Jin's wings burst his back with the force of a parachute, quickly pulling him up to his feet. With an unearthly urgency, Jin turned, began 

running as his wings began to flap fiercely, and took off flying into the air in the other direction. Asuka could only watch in awe as he soared out of sight.

"Whoa. What_ is _he," Asuka barely audibly whispered to herself in amazement.

Thoroughly enthralled by the sight alone, Asuka just remained where she stood, frozen in place looking to where he flew off; the very thought she saw someone, her cousin no less, sprout angelic wings and actually fly off just sent a cadre of different emotions including confusion, wonderment, and astonishment running through mind. Asuka was so stunned by the sight that she didn't notice a tournament escort come up right behind her.

"Ms. Asuka," the escort said, breaking her brief trance and causing her to spin around, "Your transport is ready; we must ask you to leave."

--

_**As the Worst Draws Near**_

In the impressive, high-tech motorboat away from the area, Asuka just couldn't shake her match with her cousin from her mind. Above all else, she could still hear his gruesome cry for help ringing in her ears. She tried to convince herself to just let him go especially since he could grow wings and fly. Still, something within her told her not to simply ignore Jin's plea. After much debate, Asuka decided to listen to her inclination, and try to help her cousin, whatever that meant. She wasn't going home just yet.

"Excuse me, but do you know where the final match is taking place," Asuka asked the nearby captain as she rose to her feet.

The captain, who was concentrating on driving the boat and didn't notice Asuka coming up behind him, replied, "Ground Zero Isle. Why do you …"

BAM! In an instant, the captain was knocked unconscious, bringing the boat to an abrupt stop. Asuka took his limp body, and gently laid it on the floor against the wall, out of the way and out of sight.

"I'm sorry, captain-san, but I have somewhere else I need to be," Asuka apologized to the knocked-out captain.

Then, she turned to the console, and was frozen in awe again. Before her was a massive expanse of turns, dials, and levers, not to mention an array of buttons and lights that resembled a dropped bag of Skittles™. Luckily, out of the collection, she noticed the 'Auto-Captain' button, and quickly activated it. Immediately, a screen appeared, and, after a brief scan with her eyes, chose 'Ground Zero Isle' as her destination. Almost immediately, the boat sped off into the water.

As she was carried to her location, Asuka suddenly noticed a large G Corporation ship that seemed to be smoking coming into view. Knowing people could be hurt, Asuka quickly decided to board the large water transport. Just as she came up to the side, Asuka managed to stop her motorboat, leaving it running, deftly climbed up the ship's anchor chain, jumped on to the deck of the ship, and …

…

Xiaoyu exclaimed as her newest friend came bounding over the side of the ship, "Asuka-chan?!"

"Xiao-chan," Asuka exclaimed, reacting to the sight of the one person she least expected to see.

Xiaoyu enthusiastically followed, saying, "Asuka-chan, I'm sooo glad to see you; we could really use your help."

By this time, Zafina noticed the new person on the boat, and immediately she was struck by what she sensed. This new girl had a surprisingly large amount of spiritual power, and, for the first time, she also noticed Xiaoyu did as well. While the new one, Asuka she realized Xiaoyu called her, had a power that seemed genetic, Zafina realized Xiaoyu's power stemmed from elsewhere: the purity of her spirit, her heart, and … something else that even Zafina herself didn't recognize, but whatever it was, it was indeed powerful. On top of all of this, they seemed to be good friends. Almost instantly, Zafina's mind began to run away from her with thoughts of how strong these two would be combined, but, before long, she felt danger coming.

"Ladies, I'm afraid our fight is not yet over," Zafina called out to the two chatting girls.

Instantly after Zafina's call, one more wave of Jack-5s emerged from the bottom of the ship, but this time they were accompanied by a fully-armored Jack-6. With all three ladies fighting together, all of the Jack-5s were dispatched of with relative ease, but the Jack-6 was a totally different beast. Their strikes seemed to have very little effect of it, and even if they were attacking it, it didn't stop it from attacking them. When they blocked, most 

of its shots got through anyway because its immense power. After a brief session of fighting, Asuka, Xiaoyu, and Zafina knew they could go toe-to-toe with this mechanical monster for long. Then, Zafina noticed the Jack-6's self-destruct trigger underneath its chest plate. Quickly, to Asuka and Xiaoyu's horror, she charged at the Jack, and, in one skillful, precise strike, managed to activate the trigger through the chest plate. Before she could retreat however, the Jack-6 landed a solid hit by pumping its arm like shotgun, hitting her in the side with a 'Piston Gun Assault' and putting a sizeable gash right beneath her ribcage. The damage was done however as the countdown appeared on its visor. _15 … 14 … 13…_

"That thing's going to explode! Run! Leave me," Zafina yelled to her partners as she held her side.

_12 … 11 … 10 …_

Xiaoyu hurriedly responded, "No way! We're not gonna just leave you here!"

_9 … 8 … 7 … _

Zafina then speedily replied, "Look, you two are the last hope for the world. You must go! Now, run!"

_6 … 5 … 4 …_

Without delay, both Asuka and Xiaoyu sprinted to Zafina, lifted her up, and dashed towards the edge of the ship.

_3 … 2 … 1 …_

All three went over the side when … KABOOOOOM!! The ship was thoroughly leveled as Asuka, Xiaoyu, and Zafina hit the water; by the slimmest of margins, the three of them had made it.

--

"What took you so long," Kazuya outwardly wondered as he sensed a familiar presence nearing.

Out of the distance, Jin came flying through the air towards Ground Zero Isle, the site of the final match. Seeing his opponent, Jin landed across from Kazuya, his wings quickly retracting as he touched down. A stare-down for the ages commenced …

"I guess there's nothing left to say," Jin said, breaking the silence.

Kazuya only smirked as he replied, "I guess not."

Suddenly, the announcer's voice began, "_Kazuya Mishima, Jin Kazama, get …"_

Out of nowhere, the announcer's voice was cut off, and it seemed as if the entire island was shaking. A violent tremor had unexpectedly struck Ground Zero.

--

Back on the motorboat, Asuka and Xiaoyu were applying first aid to Zafina as the ship sped through the water. Suddenly, Zafina's eyes shot open with an eerie, horrified look in them, causing both Xiaoyu and Asuka to jump back in surprise and fright.

Zafina, with a soft, creepy, terrified tone, said, "Oh no, it's starting …"

End Chapter

**Next time: **_"Evil stars, sons of the Devil, I am … the bringer of your death. Prepare for annihilation and assimilation." _

__

_**A/N: **_**Okay, I know it was long, and I commend those who stayed with me the whole way. If not, I understand. I promise the next chapter will be shorter as it's essentially one large fight. I hope I kept your attention the whole way, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you come back again. Please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review. **


	8. Prophecy Realized: Trifold Evil Battle

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken _

_**A/N**__: _**As promised, this one will probably be shorter than the preceding chapters although I'm not making any promises. Essentially this is just going to be one large fight with some explanation in the middle. I hope you enjoy, and I hope I can do the fight justice. Let's get it on. **

The King of the Iron Fist Tournament 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash

Prophecy Realized: Battle of Tri-fold Malice

…

All of Ground Zero Isle was violently shaking, almost as if it were trembling in dreaded anticipation of something. Despite the chaos surrounding them, however, Jin and Kazuya stood solemnly, unwaveringly although the surprise was evident on their faces as they searched for the cause of the tremor. Then, not far from where the two fighters were standing, a massive fissure cracked the earth and seemed to end the quake as the island gradually slowed to a stop. Kazuya and Jin stared at the split in utter confusion and disbelief as a single, monstrous claw reached up from beneath the ground, and then another followed by a head and finally the whole body. Standing in front of them was a gargantuan creature that could only be described as a grossly-warped, grotesque representation of an Anubis; the large, demonic monstrosity had glowing red eyes, a long tail covered in alligator-like spikes made of ice, a sharp beak of a mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth, numerous huge barbs of crystalline frost sprouting from its wrists, golden, metallic bonds around its ankles and neck, and a number of crystals embedded in its skin going up its back and onto its head.

With an extremely deep and menacing voice, the demon threatened, "Evil stars, sons of the Devil, I am Azazel, the true ruler of this world and the bringer of your death. Prepare for annihilation and assimilation."

As both have always done when verbally threatened, Jin and Kazuya just calmly folded their arms across their chests in indifference, when, in truth, they were actually sizing up their new 'challenger'. Neither had any idea as to what this thing was, how and why it was in front of them, or even how it could be taken down, but one thing was for certain: their quarrel had to wait; they had to dispose of this fiend first before they could settle their own dispute, and both men knew that.

"Son," Kazuya said, subtlety asking Jin if he had the same idea as Kazuya.

"Father," Jin replied, solidifying the unspoken plan between them.

All of a sudden, red lightning bolts gathered around both Jin and Kazuya as they began to transform. A pair of black, angelic wings sprouted from Jin's back and two purple, leathery, bat-like wings sprouted from Kazuya's. Horns grew and stretch out of their heads, and their fingernails changed into jagged, talon-like claws. Kazuya's skin turned a cruel shade of purple, his lower half became covered in the same color fur, and his feet changed to match his hands. Jin's canine teeth grew sharp, and chains appeared and wrapped around his waist and forearms. Now, both in their destructive states, Jin and Kazuya exchanged one more glance of intent, unfurled their wings, and flew straight at Azazel.

--

_**Legend of the Wicked Clash**_

Zafina's sudden shift and enigmatic words quickly caused Asuka and Xiaoyu to panic and worry.

"What do you mean … it's starting," Asuka hesitantly asked.

Xiaoyu, clearly frightened by it all, then added, "Yeah, _what _is starting?"

Zafina labouringly replied in a decidedly terrified tone, "The prophecy is coming fruition. The struggle between the two Evil Stars and the Unleashed Wraith is taking place as we speak."

Confused by this, Asuka then questioned, "What prophecy? What is the prophecy?"

Anxious about the growing seriousness of the situation, Xiaoyu urged, "What does it say? Please tell us."

Zafina wasn't sure about revealing the tale; she wasn't sure if these two girls could really understand. And even if they did know what the three of them were heading full speed into, would they even be able to stop it? Would they even keep going? Ultimately, after seeing the looks on her two impromptu partners' faces and sensing the current state of the situation however, she knew she had no other choice.

Zafina took a deep breath, and, as she closed her eyes, recalled the whole retelling, "It has been prophesized: _when_ _the two evil stars meet, the combined malevolence will break the seal on the Crystal Demon, Azazel, and attract the monster to them. It has been said that the two evil stars will unite with Azazel not in partnership … but in death. An epic conflict between all three entities will then ensue, and, in the end, two will lose their lives. As the defeated lie dead on the ground, the one that remains will absorb their power into their own. However, the power will destroy the last entity's mind, and, with no one strong enough to stop it, the final wicked one will destroy all of mankind." _

"What," Xiaoyu responded to this revelation of epic proportions, "We're supposed to stop that! But, how?"

That was a question Zafina didn't know the answer to. That was the thing about fortunes, premonitions, and prophecies; they never really give a reason for the event or a way to stop it. This was no exception.

"I … I'm … I'm not sure," Zafina replied with discouragement.

Asuka, remembering what Zafina said before, then urged, "But you said we were the only hope left. There's got to be something we can do. Right?"

Zafina took a moment to think before unconfidently responding, "Well, following the prophecy word-for-word, I guess you would have to make sure both evil stars survive."

Xiaoyu then asked, "How are we supposed to do that?"

Zafina, suddenly recalling something from earlier, said with a glimmer of hope, "Well, when I fought one of them earlier, I sensed a strangely equal … benevolent power within his spirit, similar to yours (points at Asuka), but it's locked up thoroughly. What I meant when I said that you are the last hope of us is that, together, you two may be able to free the power within him. With your spiritual power (points at Asuka again) and your connection to … his heart (points at Xiaoyu), it should be possible. Hopefully, that should be strong enough to defeat his evil side and stop the prophecy from coming to pass."

Xiaoyu and Asuka almost couldn't believe what they were hearing. They, just the two of them, had to stop the apocalypse by using a power that neither knew had to use on an 'evil star'. It was all too strange and unbelievable. Still, even based on Zafina's reaction, it was important, too important to just disregard. Finally, the two young women looked at each other, silently agreeing on what they had to do.

"Okay, we'll try," Xiaoyu said.

Quickly, Zafina lashed out with extreme seriousness, "Trying isn't good enough. You must succeed!"

With no further incentive needed, Xiaoyu rapidly responded, "Alright … we'll do it."

--

_**Those Who Fight Fiercely **_

Devil Jin and Devil Kazuya flew backwards violently, their bodies tossed effortlessly aside by their incredibly- mighty enemy, before bouncing off the ground to a stop in sick and unnatural fashion. This was basically how the fight between them and Azazel had gone in the first moments of the rumble. It was evident right away that, whatever this monster was, it was a few cuts above anything Jin and Kazuya had fought before. Azazel physically thrashed them every time they charged, seemingly with no effort and even without moving; the mammoth monstrosity hadn't advanced or retreated a single inch the entire fight. While Jin and Kazuya had thus far been the aggressors, Azazel seemed to just be letting them come at him while he toyed with them (as much as pummeling could be considered toying). Jin and Kazuya knew they couldn't go on like this; it was almost literally as if they were running head-first into a brick wall over and over again, only this one hit back.

As they got to their feet, both already out of breath, Jin and Kazuya only had to look at each other to know what the other was thinking; they had work together more if they were to stand a chance. Both then took a deep breath, and flew at Azazel at the same time, with Jin quickly pulling in front. Once in range, they caught the behemoth off-guard when Jin flew straight over it, but Kazuya kept going, and both began attacking from the front and behind. This staggered Azazel, and the duo continued to combat him in tandem and with uncanny efficiency. Soon, after knocking Azazel far back enough, Jin and Kazuya flew at him again, ready to attack with a combined attack, but, before they could get very far, Azazel showed off a new ability. Just as they were getting close, he slammed his hand into the ground, and two pillars of rock shot up from the ground and smashed into Jin and Kazuya, successfully taking them by surprise and stopping them in their tracks. After the initial one, a wave of pillars followed, carrying and knocking both back near the nearby forest. As Jin and Kazuya tried to shake off their painful surprise and get to their feet, Azazel's tail rose in the air and shattered into thousands of scarab-shaped shards of ice. Then, every one of them flew into the air and right at Jin and Kazuya. This was definitely a good time to retreat. Both quickly scrambled to their feet, and frantically withdrew into the forest, the scarab shards barely missing them and sticking into the trees.

As his shards of ice unstuck themselves, flew back to reform his tail, Azazel let out a low, irritated growl at the prospect of going hunting for his adversaries, and began angrily shambling towards the dense woodland, the ground crumbling under his feet. Immediately after entering the forest, the monster was greeted by a long slope that looked like it went on for quite a distance, and Jin and Kazuya were nowhere in sight especially under the cover of the trees and darkened sky. Not wanting to carefully maneuver down the incline, Azazel took a few small steps backward, sprang forward into a full sprint, and leaped into the woods, trees breaking away against its body as if they were twigs. After the small trip following its mighty leap, Azazel landed on a horizontal edge about three-fourths of the way down the incline with a nowhere-near subtle THUMP that seemed to shake the whole island. Seeming to sense the two evil stars somewhere nearby but not able to see them, Azazel slowly began walking along the edge, scanning the surrounding area with its eyes.

Jin and Kazuya stood amongst the trees, perfectly still and silent, their wings down in an attempt to blend into the dark surroundings. Both shook along with the ground as Azazel landed not far from them, a sight they couldn't help but notice, causing them to stand extra still and stay extra quiet as the demon began slowly moving toward them. In truth, they had already set up a trap for their monstrous foe, so it was in their plan for it to come to them, but it didn't stop them from breaking out in a cold sweat when it came heavily lumbering in their direction. At one point, Azazel came TOO close to discovering Jin when it stuck its head close to him in its search; Azazel was so dangerously close to Jin that Jin felt its sulfur-smelling, frigid cold breath on the back of his neck. After a brief scan, Azazel pulled itself back onto the trail, and continued on, but suddenly stopped as if feeling something; consequently, it had moved into perfect position. Not wasting time, Jin and Kazuya sprung their trap, swinging the large tree trunks that had been holding in their arms and hiding behind. Azazel didn't notice until it was too late and was sadistically slammed by the trees on the back and the front of its throat. As Azazel crumbled to the ground, choking and holding its neck, Jin and Kazuya lifted the severed trees once more and slammed them down across the monster's back, pinning it to the ground. With Azazel temporally immobilized and in pain, Kazuya and Jin both flew a way up the hill, and, as they hovered amongst the trees, swept their lasers in an arc, cutting a large amount of trees and sending them uncontrollably rumbling down the slope. As planned, the forest avalanche slammed into Azazel, and continued barreling down the hill under it came to a rough stop all the way at the bottom, seemingly crushing the monster.

Thinking they had triumphed, Kazuya mockingly asked as if Azazel were right there, "Now, what were you saying about … what was it, our annihilation?"

Jin added by sarcastically saying, "Some true ruler of the world."

Out of nowhere, much to Jin and Kazuya's immense surprise, the entire pile of trees amassed at the bottom of the hill began to slowly shuffle, but came to rest again after a moment. Suddenly, from beneath the pile, a vast array of lasers ripped through trees, and with an obviously irate roar, Azazel emerged from underneath his makeshift burial, scarred but very much alive and now thoroughly pissed. Completely stunned from shock, Jin and Kazuya just froze in place when Azazel looked up and saw them hovering in the place where they were. The demon then reared back and, after a mighty leap towards them, curled into a ball, forming a sort of razor wheel with its body. Unable to move in time, Kazuya and Jin were completely catapulted backwards all the way back to the top of the hill when Azazel rammed right into them, and hit the ground hard as they landed in the area they had started in. On their last legs now, both slowly got up and attempted to fly away, but they didn't notice what was coming. Just as they were taking off, like something out a horror movie, Azazel suddenly came bounding up from the forest, much higher than they were flying, and, as the gigantic fiend rapidly descended, neither of them saw it coming.

CRASH!! Azazel landed right on their backs, viciously slamming them both to the grounds and creating craters underneath them that outlined their bodies. Slowly, the monster stepped off of them, and seemed to watch with perverse enjoyment as they desperately struggled to move. Kazuya almost couldn't breathe; he knew a fair amount of his ribs and almost his chest had collapsed around his heart. Jin had a gash from beyond his hair line to about halfway down his forehead; in no time at all, as he lifted himself up weakly, blood rapidly began falling down his face in tiny rivers until he could barely see and his entire face was colored a disgusting shade of crimson. As if they weren't in enough trouble already, now Jin and Kazuya were really endangered now, and the sight of them in pain only seemed to fuel Azazel's drive. With no remote sign of remorse, compassion, or good nature, The Crystal Demon began to viciously and sadistically beat its two borderline-victims, hitting them repeatedly with heavy shots and slamming them into the ground. The whole time it was doing this, its beak-like mouth was twisted repulsively into some vague semblance of a smile as if it were a child playing with toys. After a while, Azazel stopped its current fit of monkey-stomping Jin and Kazuya as if it was trying to pound them down into paper, and raised them high into the air by their throats. Both noticed the vaguely inquisitive look on its face like it was wondering what it could do to them next, and realized that they couldn't stand any more punishment; they had to do something quick … but what?

Then, out of nothing but sheer desperation, Jin fired a laser from his blood-soaked forehead that hit Azazel right in the crystal on his head. The monster quickly let out an unexpected and decidedly pained roar, and nonchalantly tossed Kazuya and Jin backward before gripping its head in anguish.

As the two hovered to a stop despite their pain, Jin called out to his partner, "Kazuya! The crystals!"

But Kazuya had already seen what had been done; again, both evil stars had the same idea at the same time. As Jin ran his forearm across his face to get some vision back, Kazuya only nodded to him in affirmation with no words needing to be said. Instantly, Kazuya flew towards Azazel, prompting the behemoth to attack with a downward strike, and, after Kazuya blocked the attack and held its arm in place, Jin blasted a focused beam right into the large crystals lining its wrist. Azazel let loose a tremendous howl of torture as Jin kept the beam on, until, after noticing the crystals beginning to crack, Kazuya signaled him to stop, and, not wanting to argue, Jin followed. Acting without hesitation, Kazuya pulled Azazel's arm down further, and, with one mighty hook fist, smashed right through the crystals, reducing them to almost nothing. Azazel almost instantly flung up its damaged arm as the hand went limp, and followed that violent motion with a screech of torment so high-pitched it could barely be heard. Jin then flew toward the Crystal Demon, and Kazuya, knowing what his associate was aiming for, bombarded the crystals on Azazel's opposite wrist with a focused laser beam of his own. Then, before Azazel could even react, Jin came within distance, stopped while still maintaining some momentum, and, with one swift axe kick, destroyed the crystals, crushing them mercilessly. As its other hand went limp, Azazel let out another wail of pain, but this one was decidedly feebler; the fiend was getting weaker.

Jin and Kazuya had actually found their large foe's weakness, and just as expected, they exploited it to the fullest extent. With Azazel's hands now incapacitated, the Crystal Demon's offense suffered greatly although it could still move its arms, and, because its crystals are on its back, it stayed away from attacking with its tail. One by one, Kazuya and Jin destroyed the crystals up Azazel's back, further weakening it each time. Kazuya destroyed one with a downward elbow strike, breaking the crystal from the body; Jin destroyed the next with a roundhouse punch, sapping Azazel of its strength more; Kazuya destroyed the third with a flying side kick, racking the Crystal Demon with unbelievable suffering; Jin destroyed the one at the base of the neck, bringing the colossal fiend to its knees. Barely able to hold itself up at this point, Azazel was ripe for a finishing blow, and Kazuya and Jin were happy to oblige. Together, they shot focused laser beams at the one remain crystal on Azazel's forehead, but it took a lot longer to crack than the others; it was obvious a much stronger blow would be needed to finish off this one. The Crystal Demon was visibly injured to a massive degree; it was defenseless. Jin and Kazuya looked at each other once more, exchanging a silent conversation one last time, and both began flying towards Azazel, but, as they got in range, they both pulled up into the air until they were a good distance above their adversary. Red lightning bolts and sparks began to gather around their fists and them they as readied one more attack.

--

The motorboat had almost reached its destination; Ground Zero Isle was well within sight now. Suddenly, as Xiaoyu and Asuka looked on, two, glowing red dots appeared above the island. The two young women looked on in amazement and confusion as the red dots then rapidly descended. As the dots disappeared from sight onto 

the island, there was a brief moment of silence before THUMP! An immense column of red light shot up high into the heavens into the looming storm clouds above the isle as a large, dull rumble could be heard very clearly even from their distance, and right behind it was large shockwave that caused the water to violently ripple and even the boat to shake a little.

"WHAT in the world was THAT," Asuka exclaimed in the form of a question to a decidedly speechless Xiaoyu.

Expectedly, both Xiaoyu and Asuka turned back to Zafina for answers. An even more terrified look was on Zafina's face now; this wasn't good in any sense of the word.

Without even being prompted, Zafina exclaimed with horror and anxiety, "One … has fallen."

End Chapter

**Next Time: ** "… _You called me frightened earlier; well … I'll show you the true meaning of fear."_

_**A/N:**_** First and foremost, major thanks to all those who visited or visit my story on a regular basis; this story has actually garnered 1000+ hits. **_**Thank you so much, you all; I greatly appreciated it to the fullest extent.**_** Next, please forgive me for uploading late; I've been busy and it just seemed like things kept happening that prevented me from getting going, but I'm have an early start this week, so stay tuned. So, please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review. **


	9. Apocalypse or Epiphany

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken (I bet you all are sick of hearing that by now)_

_**A/N: **_**Again, I want to say thank you to you all for the support; an author is nothing without readers, so I'm glad you all are here. Okay, we're really getting to the end now; this is the climax. Will our heroines make in time? At this point, ****I'm**** not even sure. Anyway, I hope I can do this one justice, so let's go. **

The King of the Iron Fist Tournament 6: When Souls and Hearts Clash

Apocalypse or Epiphany

_**Dual Dueling Devils **_

Three bodies laid motionless on the cold ground of Ground Zero Isle. One's hair was matted against his head by his own blood; two were barely conscious; all three were barely breathing. When Jin and Kazuya performed that final attack, they figured they would obliterate the final crystal, but they didn't expect the crystal to explode not to mention in such grand fashion. The blast was so great that it actually knocked them out of Devil state when it blew them backwards; the change was instant, something that almost never happens. None of the three moved for what seemed like an eternity until… Jin and Kazuya very slowly lifted themselves to their feet, desperately fighting to keep themselves standing.

Crumbled on the ground dying, Azazel noted its loss, "Im … Impressive. Now … the real battle begins …"

Then, with one last breath, The Crystal Demon gave up its ghost, but its body wasn't quite done yet. As Jin and Kazuya looked on, Azazel's body suddenly and unbelievably deconstructed into a large mass of blue, semi-translucent tendrils and then began to fly into the air before flying toward them. Thoroughly exhausted and barely able to stand, Jin and Kazuya could only watch as the tendrils violently dug into and entered their bodies. For a brief moment, nothing happened, and both could only wonder in silence as to what had transpired, but that didn't last long. A moment later, both felt a surge of power so intense, so massive that it brought them to their knees in agony. Eventually, their wounds began to heal. Kazuya's ribcage reformed and his breathing returned to normal; the blood covering Jin's chest and face inexplicably flowed in reverse back into his wound before the slash closed up and sealed as if it never happened. Every cut and bruise that lined their bodies healed, and all their pain was relieved.

Kazuya was the first to rise to his feet, and, with a stunned and slightly disturbed look on his face, walked to where Azazel had perished. Standing at the foot of the small crater, Kazuya's somewhat troubled gaze slowly settled on his hands. There was a much different power behind them now, but decidedly much more; even as they began to slowly tremble, small sparks formed and came off of them. This newfound power was … almost too much, and, for the first time in a long time, a small flicker of _fear_ arose within Kazuya. But, as quickly as it came, it disappeared even faster. Fully embracing his added might, Kazuya let out a decidedly maniacal laugh.

Jin, on the other hand, wasn't doing as well. Still on his knees, he knew something was definitely wrong. Instead of feeling empowered, Jin was in pain, serious pain. Just underneath his skin, from the inside of his throat down to the pits of his gut felt like it was on fire. In addition to that, he began to feel like his insides were slowly beginning to separate and tear apart. The agony soon grew to the point that his body began to shake as he allowed himself to lay on the ground, curled up on himself. Inside, the Devil side that controlled him yet stayed separate from him couldn't understand it.

"_**What's happening," **_Devil Jin thought in aggravation and anguish, _**"This power … is unreal, but the pain … is as well. How can this be? Isn't Kazama's body strong enough? Or maybe … what that girl did to him, me has something to do with this; I did feel the chains I have on him release …"**_

Finally, after his conniption of menacing laughter slowly tapered off and ended, Kazuya looked back to see Jin in torment; almost immediately, he figured out why. He's still weak Kazuya thought. It was too ironic to ignore; here was supposedly the strongest fighter in the world today, and he was curled in distress because of a power he can't handle. Kazuya wasn't about to just let the opportunity to comment on this slip by.

"Does it hurt, Jin Kazama," Kazuya asked mockingly before continuing as he approached his enemy, "All this time, and you still never could harness true power. Look at you, writhing like a frightened dog! Honestly, I'm actually disappointed. Nevertheless, I'll still enjoy crushing you although I'm afraid it might be all too easy."

That definitely helped Jin shake off his struggles; hearing that, the Devil inside him immediately embraced the power in spite of his body's apparent aversion to it. Kazuya, in a show of disrespect, aimed a kick right at Jin's head, but, in a moment similar to the blink of an eye, Jin caught Kazuya's foot right as it was getting close. In the first true show of the battle that was about to ensue, though it didn't take much effort to throw the kick and it didn't take much effort to block it, the impact of the two produced a loud, deep thump of a sound akin to a miniature sonic boom. A chilling fire in his eyes, Jin pushed backward Kazuya by the foot as he himself rose to his feet.

The whole time before Azazel's arrival, the tournament production team had been frantically scrambling to figure out what caused the satellite feed to go out, and desperately trying to get it back on-line. By order of Jin Kazama himself, no one was to be onsite at Ground Zero Isle, so all the photography had to be done remotely. This turned out to be a major problem as there was no way of recording the final match between Jin and Kazuya if the feed wasn't working. Finally, after an exhaustive amount of work, the production team managed to get up a temporary feed only to find, much their surprise and relief, Kazuya and Jin just staring each other down, both relatively unscathed. It looked as if the match hadn't even started yet.

Now back to 'himself' with no sign of pain at all, Jin, in a cool and confident tone, responded to Kazuya's earlier comment, "Those are pretty bold words, old man, but they don't matter. I mean, I've outmatched you before, but, now with all this power at my fingertips, you don't stand a chance."

Just as Jin was saying that, a loud rumble could be heard approaching the island from above; a mass of storm clouds came rolling in from every direction. Just as it had reacted all throughout the tournament, the surroundings changed as if anticipating what was to come next. Soon, the sky was significantly darkened by this foreboding effect, this ominous sign of just what was about to take place between these two fighters. Thunder continued to boom overhead as Kazuya and Jin acted as if the world wasn't cringing in expectation of their next move; in truth, they really hadn't noticed the change, and they really didn't care.

Kazuya, as calm as ever, plainly replied to Jin's claim, "Hmph, powerful as you are, it will only bring your downfall. Your power, you still haven't accepted it, harnessed it, and embraced it, as I have mine."

Jin, with a smile on his face, then said, "Maybe so, but your mastery will get you nowhere. You called me frightened earlier; well …" He paused as the smile disappeared from his face before continuing with an obviously more sinister and serious tone, "I'll show you the true meaning of fear."

The thunder quickly grew louder and the lightning definitely flashed brighter after that evil-filled comment. Lightning danced back and forth between clouds, flashing brightly and blasting loudly, as Kazuya and Jin assumed their fighting stances. The announcer's voice had been permanently damaged after Azazel's arrival, so the call never went out, but that wasn't going to stop this fight. A single lightning bolt struck the ground not far from the two were standing as if on cue, Jin and Kazuya dashed toward each other, and it began.

--

After traversing miles of ocean, Asuka, Xiaoyu, and Zafina finally reached Ground Zero Isle, with the boat coming to a stop after slowly climbing onto the soft, wet sand of the beach. Even as they approached, they noticed 

the increasingly threatening state of the island, and they knew they didn't have much time. Immediately landing, Xiaoyu and Asuka jumped off the boat, and began to travel further onto the island, but they didn't go far at all before realizing that something was off: It was just them; Zafina was still on the boat. Quickly, they both ran back to retrieve her, thinking she just needed help moving. When they reached her, however, they found out that Zafina hadn't moved from where she sat.

"Come on, Zafina-chan. We're here; we have to go," Xiaoyu said, coercing Zafina to move.

With a serious and calm tone, Zafina plainly replied, "I'm sorry, ladies, but no. This is where I stop."

Recalling Zafina's earlier act, Asuka tried to sway her, saying, "Not this again. Look, Zafina-chan, you're with us now. Now, let's go."

"No," Zafina quickly replied with unexpected vehemence and enthusiasm, causing both Asuka and Xiaoyu to jump back.

Explaining herself, Zafina continued in her calm tone, "As much as I want to assist you, I'm still an assassin; my power is meant to destroy, not purify. Also, with my injury, I won't be much help in a fight, not to mention slow down navigating this place. I will be fine right here, but you two must go now."

Xiaoyu, voicing the concerns of both Asuka and herself, asked without even trying to hide her anxiety and doubt, "But, how do we find _them_? Also, I'm not sure we can do this without you."

"As for finding them, both of their energies are too strong for me to miss now. Go north along this beach until you reach a forest. You must climb that large hill, and you will find them on the other side," Zafina said before changing to unanticipated reassuring tone, "As for the last part, don't worry about that. Just do what you know in your heart of hearts to be right and you will succeed. Believe me; _you both have more power than you know._ Now, get going; the two evil stars are already beginning to battle."

Just like they had had to do throughout the whole ordeal, Xiaoyu and Asuka had to take a minute to absorb the task they were given. They were on their own now; it was truly up to them. But also just like they had done the whole time, both realized that it needed to be done, and they were the only ones who could do anything. Again, Asuka and Xiaoyu looked at each other, engaging in an unspoken agreement, before simultaneously giving Zafina an affirmative nod. After that silent gesture of intent, both of the girls went running up the beach.

--

There are no words to accurately describe how epic the fight between Jin and Kazuya was. Millions of spectators watched around the world in speechless awe of the match of the ages, a match many considered would determine their fates for times to come. Even the production team for the tournament couldn't pull themselves away from the multiple screens and the unbelievable sight of this battle.

Because there was no announcement, there were practically no rounds, but it didn't make much difference as both would basically get right back up if they were knocked down. Also, because there were no rounds, there was little to no stoppage during the struggle. Both combatants were relentless and violent in every facet of their strategy. There were no mind games, no traps, no set-ups; everything pertaining to indirect damage was totally disregarded. Jin vs. Kazuya was just an outright struggle, an unbelievably- heated, brutally-taxing brawl in every sense of the word. Even Jin and Kazuya's parries and counters were aggressive in intent _and_ delivery. But that wasn't the only reason the fight was so mesmerizing. With the boost they received from Azazel, power was literally pouring out of them, and it was obvious.

With each shot, multiple sparks of red electricity flew through the air at the point of impact, sending out a shower of red light that illuminated the increasingly dark area. Also, the might of their attacks was undeniable by the mere sounds that resounded from their collisions. With each heavy shot, a loud, deep, menacing thump would pulse through the air, giving off a noise akin to the faraway T-Rex footstep from Jurassic Park™. Finally, after what seemed like an endless series of punches, kicks, juggles, strings, eerie fireworks, violence and brutality, a final decision was reached. With a near split-second dodge, Jin sidestepped around Kazuya's 'Glorious Demon God Fist', and, with his left hand, delivered a devastating strike, a 'Left Roundhouse Punch', to Kazuya's side, an attack that sent a wave of pain coursing through Kazuya's body and throughout the area as well; upon impact, not only did a louder boom resonate, but the camera providing the live feed actually vibrated. As Kazuya fell to his knees, it was evident that the match was over … but Jin's attack didn't stop with that.

Jin suddenly felt himself filled with malicious intent and sadistic inclination as he watched Kazuya struggle to catch his breath. From out of nowhere, Jin performed a scissor kick motion, connecting with Kazuya's chin with two kicks, a 'Double Lift Kick' that raised Kazuya right to his feet. Being forced to stand in such vile fashion, Kazuya stood almost paralyzed from pain and surprise, in perfect position for what Jin was going to do next. With a strong spin forward followed by a merciless roundhouse kick, a 'Spinning High Kick', Jin sent Kazuya spiraling backwards, drawing a pained sound out of Kazuya's body, sending a huge cluster of red sparks cascading through the air, and seemingly causing a huge amount of storm activity overheard as a great amount of thunder and lightning rang out and flashed right after the extra attack.

Jin enjoyed causing Kazuya further suffering … a lot, little more than usual in truth. Soon, he got a familiar feeling in his chest, only this time it was different. It was fiercer, stronger, and ... much more evil. As it began to spread throughout his whole body, Jin knew it was happening again; he was transforming once more. However, the outward manifestation was also much stronger, which had an immediate effect. As a result of the intense electrical outburst coming from the storm in conjunction with Jin's own outpour, the live satellite feed went out again. But, in spite of no formal announcement, the conclusion was very clear, and, after the production team determined it was safe to end the broadcast, a single message scrolled across the broadcast screen: _The winner and king of the Iron Fist is … Jin Kazama._

--

At one point, Xiaoyu and Asuka thought the beach would go on forever, but still they pushed on. Then, just as they were about to slow down, it seemed as if the whole sky flashed as a foreboding, particularly large electrical eruption occurred in the clouds over them. Immediately, they both recognized that was a very bad sign, and that they couldn't afford to waste any time. Finally, they came to the dense woodland … to the sight of a gigantic path of waste and ruin that started at the top of the hill and ended right at their feet. Even with the pressing issue at hand and time running out, Asuka and Xiaoyu couldn't help but stop and marvel at this incredible and disturbing vision.

"Whoa," Asuka finally said, breaking the silence, "Do you think … _the fight_ caused this?"

Xiaoyu, just as amazed but quickly getting back on track, replied, "I don't know, but we still have to get up this hill … and fast."

Asuka quickly agreed, and they both got refocused. Xiaoyu and Asuka then began quickly but carefully traversing up the fallen tree-littered path of the hill.

--

Kazuya was beaten although he didn't really notice it at the time. A mental haze clouded his senses as he laid on the cold ground; the only undeniable sensation was the incredible, paralyzing hurt that wrapped his body. Also, it was now Kazuya's turn to bleed; Jin's last shot opened a cut just above Kazuya's right eye. Very slowly, Kazuya lifted his body to a seated position only to be treated to a truly demonic vision. Kneeling right in front of him to be eye-to-eye with him, a devil stood with its mouth twisted into an incredibly disturbing grin that showed its razor-sharp canines, its white-iris eyes seeing blood-red with hatred and intensity; Devil Jin definitely had something sadistic and evil in mind. There was a moment of tense silence between the two as if Devil Jin was non-

verbally telling Kazuya just what was about to happen. Then, in the blink of an eye, Devil Jin had Kazuya's throat firmly in his grasp, and, as he himself rose to full standing position, effortlessly lifted Kazuya off the ground; something vile would ensue …

--

_**Shattered Restraints**_

After ceaseless running, chasing, and climbing over water and land, Xiaoyu and Asuka, both almost near exhaustion, finally reached the top of the hill in more ways than one; physically and figuratively as they had reached the culmination of a long journey, but it wasn't over yet, not in the least. As they came to the upper edge of the forest, they stopped at the foot of the battlefield to catch their breath, and, for the first time, actually saw what was going on. A fiendish, monstrous Devil Jin was actively brutalizing a now-helpless Kazuya, beating him with his fists and feet to a pulp and seemingly so engaged in it that he didn't even notice two new people watching. This sight stunned and frightened the two young women, but was severe to such a degree that they couldn't even turn away. Xiaoyu was especially shocked and almost dejected at the sight of what he had become. At that point, he was no longer the quiet, kind young man she knew him to be; no, this Jin was scary, twisted, and a monster.

Amidst her shock, Xiaoyu, although she wasn't aware she let it escape her mouth, whispered, "Jin-kun … what's happening to you?"

After minutes of pounding Kazuya within an inch of his life, Devil Jin lifted him up to his feet by his hair for what seemed like one last strike. As he held Kazuya's bloody and bruised body up with one hand, Devil Jin began channeling his power into his other hand in preparation for his 'Demon's Spear' attack, but continued to stare into Kazuya's eyes, one of which was already black and the other was obscured underneath the blood on that side of his face. A chaotic mix of a red aura and red bolts of electricity formed around Jin's arm as his evil grin returned to his face. Asuka then realized just what was about to take place, breaking the astonished trance cast upon her, and quickly revived Xiaoyu out of hers so they could do what they set out to do.

"He's about kill him. Come on, Xiao-chan," Asuka hurriedly said as they both went sprinting towards the two.

Now having the power necessary, Jin released Kazuya as he reared back, and unleashed all his stockpiled strength in a single strike… Fortunately, Asuka was fast enough to get there in time and pull Kazuya out of the way, 

and it was very lucky that she was; Jin's attack produced a large arrowhead-shaped release of energy and a sonic boom, which managed to knock Asuka down even though the strike wasn't near her. Surprised by the Asuka's last minute rescue, Devil Jin's head snapped in her and Kazuya's direction, and he started to move when he suddenly felt someone grab him.

"Stop! Please stop. Please don't kill him, Jin-kun," Xiaoyu desperately pleaded with him.

Xiaoyu had run right up to Devil Jin and embraced him in an attempt to connect with Jin in some way. Devil Jin looked down with great confusion and slight annoyance at the young Chinese woman with her arms around his waist and her head on his chest, and quickly backed her up by her shoulders. Xiaoyu was then staggered by the look he gave her: at first, he seemed as if seeing her made him remember something, but he swiftly changed to a look as if he didn't even recognize her. After just a instant, Devil Jin simply pushed Xiaoyu aside and turned his attention back to his only concern, Kazuya. Asuka, seeing him beginning to approach, quickly jumped to her feet, and stood between the two of them, which garnered a slight hesitation but nothing else from Devil Jin. Xiaoyu couldn't believe what was happening; she didn't want to accept that _he_ might be gone. In another distressed attempt to reach him, Xiaoyu quickly grabbed Devil Jin's arm, and began to plead with him again.

"Jin-kun, please. You have to stop. You have to remember," Xiaoyu begged.

Devil Jin didn't even hear this plea however. As soon as she stopped him from advancing, Devil Jin's attention snapped to the hold she had on him; he didn't like the audacity of her. Reacting in angered disbelief, Devil Jin turned the hold around, harshly clenching her wrist, and yanked her close to him. A quick and sudden rush of fright ran through Xiaoyu as Devil Jin gave her an intense, fierce stare.

"Stay out of my way," Devil Jin angrily snarled at her before roughly releasing her.

Devil Jin then turned around just in time to see a figure with purple wings flying off in the opposite direction; amidst the confusion and distraction, Kazuya had sprouted his wings and began flying away, in an attempt to escape. Devil Jin quickly began running as he silently cursed to himself, and took flight after him. However, before he could get far, for the second time in just a few minutes, Devil Jin felt something hold him back. Infuriated, Devil Jin looked back and saw the cause of his bondage; Asuka had grabbed him by the chains on his legs, preventing him from chasing after his target. Still trying to attack and with Kazuya rapidly becoming less visible, Devil Jin shot several laser beams at the fleeing Kazuya, but they missed, and soon he disappeared from sight; Kazuya was gone, successfully escaping with his life.

Soon, Devil Jin stopped struggling, and Asuka slowly let him go, quickly backing up next to Xiaoyu. Devil Jin, with his back to the two young women, actually seemed relatively calm as he landed in silence. Suddenly, after a few moments, as he turned around to face them, Devil Jin let out a creepy, hysterical, manic, and high-pitched laugh. With that, he went in to a frenzy and began to attack them both.

Though he'd already fought three times, Devil Jin fought fiercely, and, since Xiaoyu and Asuka had expended a lot of energy getting to Ground Zero, they didn't have much fight left. In spite of that however, Asuka retaliated with very little evident effect, but Xiaoyu, though she managed to dodge and help Asuka escape danger several times, didn't attack at all. She was still in shock over the situation she was in; this really wasn't what she'd expected her first meeting with Jin after so much time would be like. She never imagined he would actually attack her not to mention so fiercely. She was in utter, speechless disbelief at this possessed Jin.

Asuka, seeing Xiaoyu's apprehension, tried to snap her out of it saying, "Xiao-chan, I could use some help here."

Xiaoyu stammered in an almost petrified tone, "I … I can't."

Asuka could only reply, "Xiao …"

Before Asuka could say anything else, Devil Jin grabbed her by the jaw as he flew up into the air. Asuka barely had time to realize he was flying up before he began flying back to the ground. With Asuka at his mercy, Devil Jin slammed her to the ground with the added momentum and force of the descent, executing a 'Heaven's Door' and incapacitating her for the moment. He then slowly turned his attention to Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu had no choice now; she was alone. Summoning some strength from the deepest parts of her soul, Xiaoyu reaffirmed herself; she hadn't come this far to give up on Jin now. She knew she couldn't fight him, but she knew she could reach him. This wasn't the real Jin, but he was still there somewhere; Xiaoyu could feel it. As Devil Jin slowly made his way to her, Xiaoyu began trying to reach the real Jin.

"I'm not going to fight, Jin-kun," Xiaoyu said sympathetically.

Like a pistol's bullet to the armor of a tank, the comment seemed to just bounced off of Devil Jin with no effect as he came charging at her. Devil Jin began to viciously attack, but, just as she'd done all tournament, Xiaoyu began to 'stance around' his offense, using her multiple stances and maneuvers to dodge everything he threw at her with agility and some effort.

As she continued to avoid his strikes, Xiaoyu continued in an equally sympathetic manner, "I know this isn't you; you're better this."

Unlike the first comment, this one seemed to get through. Devil Jin hesitated for a moment, and he slowed down considerably, but he still kept attacking. His decrease in speed however made it easier for Xiaoyu to dodge him, and thus allowing her to focus more attention of getting through to him.

Encouraging him, Xiaoyu appealed to Jin, "Jin-kun, you have to stop this. You have to fight it."

Devil Jin then stopped seemingly to size Xiaoyu up, but the look on his face was as if he were listening. Though she didn't know it was happening, Xiaoyu was succeeding; she was breaking through. The real Jin that the Devil inside had locked up months ago had begun to stir because of her words. Somehow, he heard her and began to struggle to break free. This caused Devil Jin to freeze up, clutched by a sudden case of indecision.

Xiaoyu continued, further reaching for him, "You can break this. I know you can defeat this; I know you can. I know you're still in there; I know you're still good inside. I'm right here with you, Jin-kun; I believe in you."

This one rang loud and clear, and, just like before, the chains around Jin loosened. As such, Jin had a reaction similar to a panic attack just as painful as before. Devil Jin began to hold his head in pain, gnash his teeth together, and his skin turned paler than usual. Not sure what was happening but knowing she caused something to occur, Xiaoyu slowly started to approach Devil Jin. For a brief second, the real Jin gained control long enough to wonder about something.

" … Xiao" Jin choked out as if wondering if it was really her.

A smile crossed Xiaoyu's face, but it quickly disappeared. Devil Jin quickly seized control again, but continued to feign as if still struggling. Xiaoyu, not aware of the ruse, continued to approach Devil Jin, and, when she got close, he sprung his trap. Devil Jin attacked unexpectedly with an uppercut that Xiaoyu barely dodged at the last second but still sent her stumbling backwards, and then shot a laser beam right at her feet, knocking her to the ground. As she tried to regain herself and her footing, Devil Jin began charging right at her.

Just as Xiaoyu turned back to Devil Jin, he was in range and attacked. At the last possible second, Asuka, who just recovered, jumped right between the two, taking the spinning kick, the first hit of his 'Hell Spiral'. Devil Jin 

followed through by attacking with the second hit, a backhanded strike that knocked Asuka aside, and completed the combination with a straight forward kick that hit home, finally connecting with Xiaoyu and knocking her to the ground. With her at his mercy now, Devil Jin slowly but firmly grasped Xiaoyu by the neck, and effortlessly lifted her to her feet. Not wasting time and with no desire to continue the encounter any further, Devil Jin prepared to strike her with a final blow, but he forgot about Asuka.

With her whole body now covered in a white aura, Asuka grabbed Devil Jin from behind, and tried to subdue him with a Kata Ha Jime, wrapping one arm around his neck, the other around his free arm, and locking her fingers. Though she succeeded in taking Devil Jin by surprise, Asuka quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to stop his next strike; despite her holding him with all her strength, his arm slowly but surely raised and aimed right at Xiaoyu, and his hand still straightened to the shape of a knife-edge especially dangerous considering his long, talon-like nails. The recognition then hit that since she couldn't stop Devil Jin, Xiaoyu was in all likelihood finished. A single tear formed in the corner of Asuka's eye, and slowly rolled down her cheek as she conceded that not only had she truly failed her family but she also let down her newest friend. Though she continued to hold on with all her power, Asuka closed her eyes, not willing to see Xiaoyu pay with her life.

Xiaoyu's mindset was even more distraught. As she looked at Devil Jin, there was very little doubt in her mind that she had lost. She had fought for the longest time to see Jin again, to help the real Jin she befriended long ago, and now that he was right in front of her, she concluded that she hadn't really aided him at all. This was still the same Jin that the world knew and hated. Above all else, this Jin felt cold, with no hint of compassion, decency, or good in sight, completely opposite of the Jin she knew. Even at _that_ moment, Xiaoyu knew the real Jin, her Jin, was still there, but, after doing everything in her power to reach him, he was still nowhere in view. Crushed by this turn of events, Xiaoyu could only close her eyes to escape this tragic sight, conceding to defeat and reserving herself to what was coming next.

In an unspoken apology, Xiaoyu pleaded for forgiveness, thinking, "_I'm sorry; I'm so sorry, Jin-kun. I guess … I wasn't strong enough to save you. Please … forgive me."_

Brokenhearted in the truest sense of the word, Xiaoyu couldn't help but break into tears as she accepted her impending death. Believing her life was about to end at _his_ hands, she decided to confess herself. In her waning moments, Xiaoyu was going to reveal her one secret, the one thing she'd been harboring since she first met him years ago, her own personal 800-pound gorilla that hovered over her every time she was with him. She had held it in long enough, and she now lamented she hadn't said something earlier. Maybe if she did, then… Still, it was too late. Late as it was, Xiaoyu believed it needed to be said, and thusly calmed herself enough to form words.

Speaking from her heart, Xiaoyu began to confess in a dejected whisper just loud enough to be heard, "I know I never got a chance to tell you, but I …"

Not waiting to hear the rest, Devil Jin began to strike; Asuka braced herself for what was sure to be a sick impact, and mustered every ounce of strength in her body to try to stop him, but to no avail. Still, before the attack could hit, Xiaoyu continued…

…

"… _I love you_," Xiaoyu admitted.

Devil Jin immediately stopped mid-attack. Though forlorn and with no intent really behind it, Xiaoyu's revelation had worked better than any attempt before it. With those three sincere, heartfelt words, Xiaoyu had formed an instant connection, the one connection to another's spirit that bypasses all bonds and restraints, the connection to a person's heart. Xiaoyu had reached Jin with a link that the Devil inside couldn't even touch. Meanwhile, Asuka was still funneling her power into Jin, but now, using the direct link to him, the power began channeling into the part of his spirit that was the real Jin. Then, with these things as a catalyst, something very strange that was nothing short of miraculous happened…

--

_In a moment, in a single instance, the laden, spiritual strength that had been lying dormant within Jin's soul awoke with a divine reverberation. The chains and restraints placed around it, keeping it from spreading, shattered and fell away, broken with ease. Unbridled, the now-present Angel burst from its prison, scattering its light, Jin's light, throughout Jin's spirit and dispersing the evil that had settled there over time. The Devil inside that grasped influence over Jin for so long still clung to its control, but, with the strength of three sources, three spirits, three hearts, the Angel decisively ended his reign. And the entity once known as Devil Jin drowned in an ocean of holy light until he was but a horrible but very distant memory. For what seemed like the longest time, Jin was haunted by a curse, one placed upon him by the sins of his fathers, but now, thanks to his most spiritually-strong family member and the one person able to connect to his heart unabated, he finally accessed his own power, tapping into the blessing placed upon him by the gift of his mother._

_--_

End Chapter

**Next Time**: "_Life never is, but all things worth having are worth struggling for."_

_**A/N: **_**Okay, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. However, I have an alternate ending to this chapter that would be just an alternate view. It has the same ultimate result, but the journey there is a lot more tragic and disturbing. If you want, I'll publish it, so let me know. Well, this story is up to 1300+ hits, so again thank you to you all. Also, I have a request to ask of my regular visitors: if it's not too much trouble, please tell your friends about me. In any case, the next to final chapter is coming up, so I'll try to get it up in a timely-manner. Until next time, please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.**


	10. The Dust Finally Settles

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken_

_**A/N**_**: Alright, this chapter is rather short. To be honest , I could have put this chapter on the last one, but that would have made it too long. Also, this chapter is the tonal shift, so it's probably better to take up a clean slate. Anyway, I hope you like it. **

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: Where Souls and Hearts Clash

Fall and Rise: The dust finally settles

_**Hosti-Lee Taking Over **_

He was exhausted, bruised, battered, beaten, and bloodied; his body was screaming bloody murder in torment and felt like it was made of lead. As he flew through the air, Kazuya could barely keep himself in flight; with his strength waning, he continued to sink before struggling to rise and not plunge into the ocean. Kazuya realized he couldn't fly for much longer, but soon he noticed a black spot on the vast expanse of blue water. It was a ship, and, by the obvious '**G**' emblazoned on its side, it was a G corporation vessel. Not waiting to think anything over, Kazuya quickly descended to the halted ship, and collapsed on its deck, his wings retracting almost instantly. His face resting against the cold deck, Kazuya laid in silence, too tired to move or even think about much of anything. He even ignored the increasingly louder footsteps … until they stopped and he heard an all-too-familiar voice.

"Tsk tsk tsk. That's just like you, Kazuya: always showing up unannounced," the person said.

It was quite possibly the last person Kazuya expected or even wanted to see. Hearing that voice, he immediately looked up, half-hoping that his mind was playing tricks on him, and saw the undeniable proof; there was no mistake now. Kazuya recognized this man all-too-well, from his silver hair to his amused smile. Standing across from him was Lee Chaolan with an unlit cigarette in one hand and a briefcase in the other.

Surprised to say the least, Kazuya asked with slight annoyance, "L-Lee?! How did you … how did you even get here?"

Of course, Lee knew how he got here, how he tracked Kazuya, and determined the best place to wait for him. But Lee wasn't about to tell his adoptive brother that. Plus, Kazuya looked so vulnerable, Lee figured he'd just mess with him.

Half-laughing to himself, Lee replied with a smile, "Let's just call it Deus Ex Machina."

Not even hiding his annoyance any longer, Kazuya , though it didn't sound strong because of his fatigue, growled at him, "Lee, what the h-- do you want?!"

Lee almost burst into laughter at how Kazuya sounded; clearly, he was trying to intimidate, but his bark was just not frightening especially in his present state. However, Lee tried to maintain himself; he was still there for a reason after all.

His smile still present on his face, Lee replied, "Surprised to see me, are you? Well, I guess you were so focused on your enemies that you never checked to see who your allies were."

Kazuya didn't understand that statement at all. Very slowly, Kazuya started to lift himself up. Again, his body felt like lead, and was seemingly in utter defiance of being forced to move again. Willing himself up, Kazuya stood with a slump as he inquired about Lee's statement.

"What … what are you talking about," Kazuya questioned his adoptive brother.

Explaining, Lee plainly replied as he put the briefcase down beside him, "If you'd actually checked, you would know that I'm a major shareholder in G Corporation, meaning a rather large part of the company belongs to me."

Kazuya was stunned silent. Was Lee lying? Or was he just trying to rattle him? Nevertheless, Lee was telling the truth about one thing: Kazuya really hadn't checked who the company's allies were, and Lee knew it right away. Just by the look on Kazuya's face, Lee knew he caught him off-guard, and that look was worth it all.

Lee, deciding to get to the point, further explained as he flicked the cigarette aside, "I own so much of the company in fact that I would become full owner and CEO if something were to happen to you like … I don't know, you fell into a coma."

Kazuya definitely caught that implication, and, despite himself, quickly became enraged.

"Lee, you bastard! You wouldn't dare …" Kazuya roared before Lee interrupted him.

Not waiting any longer, Lee ducked low to the ground, gathering a silver aura around his lower body, and unleashed his power in a jumping spinning kick, a 'Silver Cyclone', that connected squarely with Kazuya's face. The attack sent Kazuya spiraling backwards through the air until he again was flat on the deck. This time, Kazuya was out cold. Lee, after taking a moment to relish his attack, grabbed up his briefcase and approached Kazuya's lifeless body. After kneeling next to him and rolling him over, Lee then flipped open the briefcase and pulled out a clear face mask with a long aerosol-sized gas canister connected to it.

"You'll like this, Kazuya. It's a special compound my company has been developing; it _really _puts you to sleep," Lee said mockingly as he placed the mask on Kazuya's face and activating the canister.

Noticing a storage crate nearby, Lee quickly dragged Kazuya over to it, flipped opened the top, harshly flung Kazuya inside, and closed it again. Lee had to take a moment afterwards; his plan had worked to perfection, and now, for really the first time, Kazuya was now at his mercy. Although he did it indirectly, Lee had finally got the best at Kazuya. A smile crossed Lee's face with this realization as a cool breeze of fresh, ocean air washed over him, provoking him to turn in its direction. Lee's silent moment of triumph ended as the distinct sound of a woman in heels walking across the deck towards him. After an instant, Anna appeared from around the corner. Confused to find Lee there, she wondered his reason.

"What are you doing out here, Lee," Anna inquired.

"Just getting some fresh air," Lee plainly replied with a smile.

Suddenly, with Anna's arrival, Lee remembered he asked Anna to do him a favor, and figured now was a good time to ask about it. Calming himself down, Lee turned serious as he asked about it.

"So did you find her," Lee questioned.

Anna took a moment, pondering what Lee was asking, and then, recalling, replied, "Yes. They're holding her at the hospital overnight."

Lee quickly turned toward Anna with that revelation; he went from triumphant to concern in just few moments. For a moment, Lee even surprised himself at how quickly his mood changed because of this. Nevertheless, Lee had to know more.

"Oh. How is she," Lee asked, unable to completely hide the worry in his voice.

Anna, concern slightly evident in her own voice, explained, "She has a few broken ribs. She also had a slight partial tear of her spleen, but they managed to repair it in time to save it. She did take quite a beating, but she'll be fine."

Not the best news, but it was still better than expected. The report also brought Kazuya back to Lee's mind as it was _he_ who _actually put_ the subject of the report in the hospital. However, Kazuya was being dealt with at that time, so getting upset wasn't really needed. At least she was fine Lee recognized.

Lee then replied, "Alright; thank you, Anna. I think I'll pay her a visit," Lee said.

With that, Lee began walking across the deck, and, as he walked past her, Anna followed behind him. Though she wasn't sure if it was a good idea, Anna decided to go with her gut, and made a quick decision.

"I'll go with you; I want to see her too," Anna said as she followed Lee.

Lee, not minding and just focused on the visit, plainly responded, "Fair enough."

--

_**First Step Forward**_

Xiaoyu felt Jin's hand release and quickly pull away from her neck; Asuka, no longer glowing and feeling Jin's body relax, slowly let go of him, releasing her choke hold. Xiaoyu then opened her eyes in time to see Jin's change; both young women stood in stunned silence and wonder as they witnessed this sudden physical metamorphosis. Every material relic of Devil Jin didn't just retract, they disappeared entirely; from the sharp canine teeth to the talon-like fingernails to the bull-like horns became intangible and blinked until they vanished into nothingness. In contrast, Jin's wings merely retracted, but not without significant change; just as the wings withdrew, it could clearly be seen that the feathers were slowly turning white, beginning at the tips. Finally, Jin's eyes changed back to their normal color, the final reform and symbol of Jin's return, before a look of remorse and regret washed over his face. As if noticing the change, the storm clouds above Ground Zero Isle separated and drifted away just as quickly as they rolled in, breaking away to let the sun shine.

Seeing all of this with a smile growing on her face, Xiaoyu asked as if confirming it in her mind, "Jin-kun … is that you?"

Jin simply replied, "Yes … It's me."

Asuka, having not really met Jin before and therefore not as sure as her friend, questioned, "Are you sure? Are you my real cousin now, the real son of my aunt Jun?"

Jin turned slightly to Asuka and humbly answered, "I promise you; I'm in full control of myself now. It really is me."

Realizing just how Asuka referred to Jin, Xiaoyu inquired with surprise, "Wait. Jin is your cousin?"

"Yeah. My name's Asuka _Kazama_," Asuka replied before making a realization of her own and asking, "Wait. So that means the friend you were talking about … was Jin."

Quickly filling with nostalgia, Xiaoyu blissfully answered, "Yeah. Jin and I have known each other since we were in school together.

Reacting to the revelation, Asuka scratched her head as she expressed her confused disbelief over the implausible coincidence, "So when we made our deal, we were talking about … Wow that is too weird."

Jin, moving on, then said, "In any case, Asuka-chan, Xiao, Thank you … for everything."

Xiaoyu could barely contain herself, and she didn't. Without warning, Xiaoyu tightly wrapped her arms around Jin's neck with ecstatic enthusiasm, grabbing him in a euphoric embrace. Jin, unable to match Xiaoyu's happiness, hesitantly returned the gesture, slightly hugging around her waist.

"I'm so glad to see you again, Jin-kun; I missed you so much," Xiaoyu merrily exclaimed.

Asuka, still a little skeptical, added, "I don't know. I mean how do we know you're back to normal, whatever that is? I don't know if I'm convinced."

"I understand; you have good reason to distrust me," Jin solemnly replied to Asuka's doubt.

This brought Xiaoyu out of her blissful trance and into one of concern. She'd been so happy to see him to that point that she failed to notice his demeanor. Jin's reply to Asuka, however, made it all too evident. Xiaoyu easily sensed the hint of sadness in Jin's voice, which made her recognize the unrest in his return of her gesture. Fearing something, anything, Xiaoyu released him and backed away slightly to see Jin's face.

"Jin-kun, is something wrong," Xiaoyu asked with concern heavy in her tone.

Jin slightly looked away as if he couldn't look her in the eyes, and answered, "Yes, Xiao, something is very wrong."

At that moment, Jin turned away from Xiaoyu and Asuka, hiding his face from them. Immediately, after he was set free, Jin couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened while he was imprisoned. He became burdened with regret and guilt by all the crimes committed in his name, by his leadership.

Voicing himself, Jin released in a remorseful tone, "What have I done, Asuka-chan, Xiao? I was only controlled for a few months, but, in that time, I caused so much pain and suffering; it's my fault the world is in such shambles now. So much bad is going around and much of it is because of me."

Xiaoyu didn't enjoy this at all; she knew she had to try to comfort him somehow. Also, she knew he was taking on more blame than he actually deserved. Without hesitation, Xiaoyu attempted to calm Jin; she approached him, and tenderly held his hand in her own, causing him to turn back to her.

Xiaoyu reassured him in the most comforting tone she could muster, "No, Jin-kun. That wasn't you, but you fought what was controlling you and you won. If you can do that, I know you can make everything right again."

Jin accepted this, which brought some ease to him, but he still slowly pulled his hand away from Xiaoyu's; he now had to face what had to happened next.

Again voicing himself, Jin replied, "Yes, but I only overcame it because of you, both of you. You're right; I have to make things right again and I will. Still, just like you, Asuka-chan, I'm not sure. I'm not sure I have totally won this fight, and I'm not sure I can maintain control. I have a lot of work to do, but I'm going to need some help, some _special_ help."

Jin paused a moment, getting his words together and bracing himself for a possible rejection, before continuing, "So, I guess I'm asking… Asuka-chan, Xiao, will you please help me while I fix what I've done?"

With absolutely no hesitation and without a second thought, Xiaoyu quickly replied, "Of course. Always."

Taken aback by how fast Xiaoyu responded, Jin couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Really? Just like that."

Xiaoyu, expecting the question, confidently answered. "Yes. It's not even a question."

Jin, still a little stunned by such a speedy acceptance, further inquired, "Are you sure? It won't be easy."

Asuka, remembering one of Jun's sayings, then interjected, reciting, "Life never is, but all things worth having are worth struggling for."

Jin chuckled with recollection, said, "You sound like my mother; it's good that one of us does.," and then went on to ask, "So does that mean I can count you in too, Asuka-chan?"

Asuka let out a small smile, and replied, " Sure. I got to look out for my cousin, don't I?"

"That settles it then," Jin said before switching gears, "Well, there's no use wasting time; I have to start taking care of things. Are you both ready?"

Jin then reached out his hand to them. Xiaoyu quickly placed her hand on top of his, and Asuka quickly followed, approaching and placing her hand on top of Xiaoyu's. With that gesture, the three entered into a silent pact and formed something much stronger. Signified in that moment, their connection grew; their minds, their spirits, their hearts aligned. They were now a close-knit group, one that would be almost impossible to break up. Finally, they dropped their hands and began to exit together.

"Come on, Jin-kun; we have a boat we can take," Xiaoyu merrily cheered.

"Alright," Jin responded before remembering something much earlier and inquiring, "By the way, what was this deal you two made about me?"

End Chapter

**Next Time:** "… Yes, it's true. I always have, and I'm sure I always will."

_**A/N:**_** Okay, that was it. Again, this is a transitional chapter, so I apologize for its length. Well, the end is near, and I'm getting on that as we speak. Anyway, please R&R, and, as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.**


	11. Rejuvenation and Rebirth

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken_

_**A/N:**_** The end is here; this is the final chapter. I'll give my thanks a little later, but let's get to the story's conclusion. I have to say beforehand, there are hints to pairings inside, and there is a pairing at the end. Other than that, I hope you enjoy it, and, for those that have them, I hope I can fulfill your expectations. And here … we … go.**

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: Where Souls and Hearts Clash

Rejuvenation and Rebirth

_**Unbelievable Merge to Start**_

A single, black stretch limousine, a black car preceding and following it, was driven towards a particularly frantic scene. In the limousine's backseat, the three passengers inside were watching a certain news report that was taking place amongst an almost ruckus crowd of media and a veritable frenzied storm of noise. The station field reporter, a black-haired, blue-eyed, woman wearing a pair of thinly-framed glasses and dressed in a dark red business dress, appeared on screen and began giving the report:

"_I'm here outside of G Corporation headquarters amidst a media storm, and rightfully so, as an unbelievably unexpected partnership is about to be established. That's right; all the rumors and speculation are true: The Mishima Zaibatsu and G Corporation are formally joining together to become __Mishima G Incorporated__. Today's meeting is a culmination of an inexplicable turn of events that began shortly after the conclusion of the sixth King of Iron Fist Tournament. It all started when an immediate cease-fire when out to a Mishima Zaibatsu deployments and the corporation began pulling troops out of invaded countries. No one in the media knows for sure, but the recent string of occurrences seems to be a result of a sudden change of heart by Mishima Zaibatsu owner and CEO, Jin Kazama. Early two weeks ago, a 200-page 'Statement of Intent' that includes terms of partnership and plans of action for the near future was sent from deep within the Mishima Zaibatsu to G Corporation executives and was later released to the media. Now, several sources including various esteemed lawyers have publicly stated that the document is legit and iron-clad, but several key questions remain unanswered. What was this partnership proposed now? Why was it proposed at all? Will the Mishima Zaibatsu really adhere to agreement? Is Jin Kazama really a changed man? G Corporation execs seemed to think so, but only time will __truly__ tell."_

CLICK! The main rider in the back turned off the report as the small convoy pulled to a stop in front of their destination. Outside G Corporation head office, the stretch limousine and the two black cars accompanying it arrived to a barrage of flashing cameras, shouts, and a rush of various media personnel. Eddy Gordo and Nina Williams, both wearing black suits and sunglasses, emerged from the two cars, and quickly made their way to the limousine, causing to the sea of people crowding around the vehicle to part and create a pathway. Finally, the back door of the limousine opened, and out came Jin Kazama, followed by Asuka Kazama and lastly, Ling Xiaoyu, all three wearing black business attire and sunglasses. The five got into a slightly tight formation as the three automobiles behind them drove off; then, with Jin Kazama serving as a sort of nucleus, the group, with Eddy and Nina in front, Jin in the middle, and Asuka and Xiaoyu in back, began proceeding into the building, basically bombarded by questions and another hail of camera flashes.

Watching all of this from a window high on the building was Lee Chaolan, flanked on both sides by Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law, the three of them dressed appropriately for the situation. During the tournament, Lee reconnected with his two American friends, only to find out that they both had fallen on considerably less-than-ideal times. Offering to help them out, Lee offered to pay off all of their debts if they signed on as his personal bodyguards with Law also serving as his personal chef. Paul and Law weren't about to pass up a chance to have their financial burdens lifted, so they quickly agreed and relocated their lives, Law's family included, to Japan. Lee, in addition to surrounding himself with his few friends, also achieved a secondary goal by bringing in Law and Paul: he had evened up the odds in case Jin and his 'entourage' decided to stir up conflict.

Still not really believing this was happening, Paul broke the silence, asking in his own way, "You sure you wanna do this, Lee? I mean, it's Jin frickin' Kazama for cryin' out loud! You really sure we can trust 'em?"

"Yes, Paul, I'm sure," Lee plainly replied.

Law, somewhat trying to reason with Lee, added, "But how can you be so sure? His record definitely precedes him, and his grandfather _and _his father aren't exactly saints either. "

Lee paused for a moment, gathering his words, and spoke with the composure of a pre-prepared speech, "Jin Kazama is definitely stronger than both Kazuya and Heihachi, and he seems to have a good upbringing behind him if rather tragic. You see, I've only seen Jin Kazama up close twice, and the second time was just within the last few days. I can't quite put my finger on it, but … something's definitely changed about him; the look in his eyes for instance is completely opposite of what I saw the first time. I don't know for sure, something inside is telling me that he should be trusted, and you should never ignore that voice inside, right."

Paul and Law weren't as convinced as Lee. The two shared an apprehensive look as they were deciding what to do. Finally, they came to about the same conclusion.

"You're the boss, Lee," Law voiced for the both of them.

--

Sitting on opposite ends of the table, on opposite ends of the conference room, Lee, the head of G Corporation, and Jin Kazama, the head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, were in the same room, about to merge their two companies. No one could have sanely predicted this would happen at any time. Two companies locked in competition and rivalry in almost every aspect of their business were about to put their differences aside and actually work together towards something. In the world of industry and business, something of this nature was effectively unheard of. The very sight of these two powerful CEOs merging, the symbol of this unprecedented move of action, garnered a massive storm of white camera flashes so bright that, for a moment or so, the room was almost completely white. Finally, when the commotion of the media died down, a neutral lawyer with the legal, binding document in hand made his way in between Jin and Lee, and began to present the agreement to them.

"Gentlemen," the lawyer offered, "the document has been thoroughly reviewed by lawyers on both sides and on neutral ground; all terms and arrangement have been deemed legitimate, lawful, and just by all parties. Both groups of company executives have also reviewed the document, so I ask now if there are any questions."

Jin didn't answer; he didn't need to. He only shook his head in the negative. Lee, however, had a question, a very big question. This question, with the exception of Jin himself, Asuka and Xiaoyu, was on everyone's mind, but no one wanted to ask it. Still, Lee needed to know if Jin was honest, so, as a test, Lee decided to speak up.

"I have a question for Mr. Kazama," Lee began before asking the question almost everyone had on their minds, "just out of curiosity … what are you trying to accomplish? Why are you doing this?"

Jin had already anticipated the question; he just hadn't expected to answer it just yet. Nevertheless, he knew what his answer was, and what he would say. Jin glanced slightly over his shoulder at Asuka, and then over his other shoulder at Xiaoyu, both of whom gave him a reassuring look. With that unspoken encouragement, he took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and sincerely gave his reason:

"I recently had an epiphany when I realized I had been fighting to gain things that ultimately weren't important. But, by that time, I had done so much damage that I needed help to remove it. Nevertheless, I have to deal with the path of ruin I have laid in my wake, and I must restore what was destroyed. I know you may not trust me, and I 

won't begin to blame you. I can't ask you to trust me, and I know some of you will never forgive me for all I have caused. But, I promise I'll do everything in my power to bring back everything back to the way it was before. It's just something that I must do; I have to make up for what I've done."

No one really expected that, but Lee heard the honesty in Jin's voice, his speech, and his tone. The media could only look at the two in confused silence as there was a pause for a moment, as if everyone else in the room had to really take in what Jin had just said. Finally, a satisfied smile emerged on Lee's face; Jin had passed his test.

Not sure if it was safe to proceed, the lawyer inquired, "Any more questions, Mr. Chaolan sir?"

Lee quickly replied, "No; that's all. Let get on with it."

With that, the lawyer handed Jin the document, and pointed out where to sign. Jin then pulled out a pen from his shirt, and, with several quick flourishes of his hand, signed his name, binding himself to the document. The lawyer quickly scooped up the document afterwards, carried it across the room, and handed it to Lee. Doing the same as Jin, Lee pulled out a pen of his own and gave his signature. Both companies were now bound; the document was signed, and the deal was done.

Unexpectedly, as the lawyers scooped up the document once more, Lee quickly got up from his seat, rounded the far side of the table, and, with Anna, Bruce, Paul, and Law right behind him, approached Jin. Jin, in reaction, did the same with Nina, Eddy, Asuka, and Xiaoyu right behind him, and both men silently stood face to face at the center of the table, to the left of the center of the room. At this point, no one in the room was moving, speaking, or even making a noise; the room filled with an eerie silence in anticipation of what was going to occur next. Finally, after an intense moment, Jin and Lee simultaneously reached their hands forward, and exchanged a friendly handshake, drawing a sigh of relief from the crowd and relieving the tremendous pressure the moment built up. Once the shock wore off, another hail of camera flashes filled the room.

"Pleasure doing business with you … partner," Lee said before adding, "But you must understand that this merge is on a short leash."

Jin replied with a smile, "Of course. I look forward to collaborating with you, Mr. Chaolan."

The headline on the front page of every newspaper around the world read almost the exact thing the next day: _Mishima G Incorporated is born._

--

_**Extra Support for the Cause**_

In the whole flurry of events following the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6, Lili figured it was smart if she got some extra protection. Soon, she hired Christie Monteiro, a Brazilian woman she met during the tournament, and Steve Fox, a British boxer who needed work after the boxing tournaments stopped months ago. Also, Hwoarang was her personal bodyguard, but her reasons for 'hiring' him were … different; they were more … personal. In any case, Lili and her associates were walking through her father's office building toward one of the main conference rooms; apparently there was a special visitor waiting just for her. Eventually, they made it to their apparent destination as one of her visitor's own bodyguards was standing outside of the conference room door.

"Mr. Kazama would like to speak with you inside," Eddy Gordo said.

Immediately, Lili had her suspicions about this, and thought hard about blowing the meeting off. However, before she could come to that conclusion, something inside her told her not to, that this could mean something important. After all, he had traveled a long way just to talk to her, and, if nothing else, the recent news surrounding him suggested he may have turned around. In the end, Lili decided it would be best to see what he wanted; he may have actually had something important to say.

"Okay," Lili calmly said with slight irritation, "Christie, would you please stay here and watch Mr. Gordo while I attend to my … visitor."

Christie merely nodded in affirmation, accepting her task. Lili, with Hwoarang and Steve right behind her, then entered the conference room. Christie, slightly apprehensive about it but achieving her assignment, took a place opposite to Eddy. The silence between the Capoeira masters was tense to say the least; the two of them had history that had turned somewhat sour after Eddy's departure. This was all made that much worst by the fight the two had in the tournament.

Finally breaking the silence, Eddy hesitantly praised, "Congratulations on your win at the tournament. It seems you've already surpassed me."

Christie, somewhat appreciating the compliment, plainly replied, "Thanks."

Inside the room, Jin, with Xiaoyu and Asuka at his sides, was standing at the side adjacent to the door, looking out of the window. Hearing the door open and close, the three slowly turned to face their audience. Jin's attention, however, went right to the orange-haired fighter right behind Lili, his eyes immediately landing on Hwoarang.

"Hwoarang," Jin asked with surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Hwoarang replied with a hint of hostility and annoyance, "I could ask you the same thing, Kazama. But I'm here because … I'm the Princess' bodyguard."

Jin almost instantly made a puzzled face and asked in confusion, "Bodyguard? Since when do you act as a bodyguard?"

Hwoarang, his irritation growing at the sight of Jin and the memory of the tournament, quickly shot back, "That's none of your d-- business, Kazama. And don't even think that I forgot; you still owe me a fight. You're just lucky that your girlfriend there (points at Xiaoyu) saved you in the last tournament."

That brought an immediate smile to Jin's face. Now, he remembered that Xiaoyu _did_ have to beat Hwoarang to get to the semi-finals. He even recognized the irritation and aggravation in Hwoarang's voice. It was all Jin could do to not chuckle at it. He then realized that Xiaoyu managed to take down a guy that Jin himself had trouble with. All of this combined caused Jin to turn to Xiaoyu with a smile and a look of slight admiration; Xiaoyu easily noticed, and, despite her efforts to stay composed, slightly blushed. Still, Jin couldn't resist subjecting his rival to some good-natured ribbing.

"Sounds more like she saved _you_," Jin jokingly fired at Hwoarang with a smile on his face, half-laughing to himself.

Hwoarang, not liking the look on Jin's face or being mocked, quickly began to approach Jin in anger, ready to fight. Lili, however, not wanting a confrontation especially in her father's building, quickly held Hwoarang back, and calm him down with ease, much to Jin's amazement.

"Calm down, hon," Lili whispered to Hwoarang.

Despite Lili's attempt to keep the comment hushed, Jin caught it. Hon? As in short for Honey? Now, Jin was catching on, and everything suddenly made sense. He realized why Hwoarang was a bodyguard, why Lili was able to calm him down so easily, what that look he gave her meant, why she smiled at him like that. Unable to really hold back this knowledge, Jin voiced his conclusion.

"Okay, I see," Jin let out, "You two are…"

Anticipating Jin's comment and hastily changing the subject, Lili inquired, "Is there a reason you're here, Mr. Kazama?"

Allowing for the moment to pass, Jin straightforwardly answered, "Yes, actually; I have something for you."

Jin then produced a document from the briefcase he was holding, and slid across the table to Lili. Suspicious, Lili slowly lifted the document from the table, and, with Steve and Hwoarang looking over her shoulders, began skimming over it:

_At 5 percent … Mishima Zaibatsu … relinquish all rights and ownership of Rochefort oil fields … to Rochefort industries._

Despite the legal Jargon filling it, Lili, Steve, and Hwoarang understood what the document meant. All three were shocked by what it was proposing, and, for a moment, they could only stare at Jin in mystification. Finally, after shaking off the shock, Lili tried to find out some answers to the blizzard of questions in the room.

"Look … this sounds good and all, but why are you giving this to me? I'm only 17; I can't sign a legal document," Lili said.

Jin then calmly and smoothly replied, "I know; the document is for your father, whom I wish a speedy recovery by the way. I just figured it would sound a lot better to him if it came from you rather than from me. As it pertains to you, please just consider it a … eight-months-early 18th birthday present. It's at your discretion whether to give it to him or not."

Hwoarang was just silent with awe and disbelief at this point; He had never known Jin to act this. Soon, it got too much, and Hwoarang had to say something.

With skeptic irritation, Hwoarang ranted, "Okay; that's enough. This sounds a little too generous especially coming from you and I'm not totally convinced by that speech you gave at G Corporation. This 'change of heart' of yours is too unbelievable. I want to know what's really going on. Tell me the truth; what are you really after, Kazama?"

Jin stopped at Hwoarang's challenge. Slowly, Jin turned his head away slightly, debating whether to answer honestly or not. Eventually, Jin concluded that he owed his rival the truth, and revealed his goal.

"What I'm really after, Hwoarang is …" Jin confessed, "redemption."

Hwoarang started to say something back but he actually managed to notice something about Jin. He actually recognized the sincerity in Jin's voice and attitude; _now_, Hwoarang believed Jin had turned around. Out of respect, Hwoarang decided to accept the answer and not push the issue further. Lili also picked up on Jin's honesty, and, after taking one more preliminary scan off the document, announced her decision.

"Alright, Mr. Kazama, I'll forward this to my dad," Lili said before adding, "but not because of you or what you said."

A little surprised, Jin politely inquired, "Oh. Then, why _are_ you doing this?"

Lili, the one to speak sincerely this time, answered, "Because Asuka's your cousin; if she trusts you, I'm sure that I can trust you too."

Amused by the statement, Jin replied with a smirk, "I'll take it. Thank you."

Asuka, amused and actually honored by the statement, then added, "Thanks, Lili-chan."

With their business concluded, Jin, Asuka, and Xiaoyu began to leave, with Lili, Steve, and Hwoarang moving aside. However, before they could open the door, Hwoarang stopped Jin by grabbing his arm. This, of course, caused Xiaoyu and Asuka to stop as well, and the same eerie silence and threat of confrontation that had been hovering over Jin for the past months filled the room. Finally, as he released Jin, Hwoarang got the words that he wanted to say out.

"… Good luck, Kazama,' Hwoarang forced out.

Jin, appreciating the compliment and somewhat enjoying the difficulty Hwoarang had getting it out, jokingly replied, "What, no insult? No challenging me to a fight? No telling me you're going to kick my a-- the next time you see me?"

Hwoarang replied with a smile, "Yeah yeah yeah; just get out of here before I change my mind. I'm just giving you a head start."

Jin chuckled a little with satisfaction, and, as he gave Hwoarang a friendly pat on the shoulder, said, "Thanks, Hwoarang."

Now truly finished, Jin and company left. Several weeks later, Mishima G Incorporated gained a new partner, Rochefort Industries.

--

_**We strive Together**_

The past number of weeks had been going much smoother than expected; with the two mega-companies working well together since the merge and with the added support of the Rocheforts, the efforts to get the world back to the prosperous state it was in were moving right along.

After being away to check on how things were progressing, Xiaoyu and Asuka, who the public knew as Jin's 'spiritual advisors', were returning to headquarters. As they were walking toward Jin's office, the two young women crossed paths with a face familiar to Asuka; walking away from Jin's office was a frustrated and conflicted-looking Lei Wulong. Both wondered why Det. Wulong looked the way he did, exchanging confused looks, but they didn't stop. Eventually, they entered the office to find a dejected Jin sitting at his desk.

Confused about just was happening, Xiaoyu asked, "Jin-kun, who was that?"

Jin, sounding as crestfallen as he looked, replied, "That was Det. Lei Wulong. He had to see me about something."

Upon hearing the name, Asuka had a remembrance, and hastily spat out, "That reminds me; I need to ask him something."

Asuka then quickly exited the room, running after Lei. Xiaoyu quickly turned her attention back to Jin. As the recent weeks went by and progress had been going forward, Jin seems to have cheered up though it was slight, much to Xiaoyu's delight. But, now, after what was only one day, Jin looked exactly how he looked when he first came back; in truth, he actually looked even more despondent than he did then. As much as she hated to see him like this, Xiaoyu hurt even more when she saw him this time. Just as she did then, Xiaoyu tried to relieve him.

"What did he want with you, Jin-kun," Xiaoyu inquired with concern.

"He said he was going to look the other way for now because of what we're doing, but initially," Jin slowly began before letting the rest of the statement drop out of his mouth like an anvil, "he was here to arrest me."

After letting out a perplexed gasp, Xiaoyu shot out in surprise, "Really? He was going to … _arrest_ you?"

Jin could only reply plainly, "Yes. He read me my whole list of crime and everything. He even started to read me my rights."

This event took Xiaoyu so off-guard that it was as if she got hit by car; it sent a frigid chill right down her spine, and left her in complete stunned silence at the very thought of it all. As Xiaoyu just stared at him while trying to regain control of herself, Jin slowly raised himself from his chair, and started staring out of the window, his back to Xiaoyu.

Jin then began to downheartedly ramble, slowly relaying what it all meant, "Extortion, acts of terrorism, crimes against humanity … not to mention countless others. If I went to jail, I would be executed within the hour, legally or illegally,"

Xiaoyu, affected by Jin's downbeat manner, began to approach him as he continued.

"I've destroyed a lot of things, haven't I," Jin asked with remorse and guilt soaking every word.

Xiaoyu then stood next to him, and reassuringly placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn his head toward her.

In her comforting and supportive tone, Xiaoyu said her words smoothly, "Yes, but you're doing something about those things. You're rebuilding and repairing the damage done. Don't worry, Jin-kun; you'll make everything right again, I know it. And with me, Asuka-chan, Lee-sama, Lili-chan, and everyone else helping, maybe things will turn out better than before."

Jin wasn't surprised at all by what Xiaoyu said, but she did manage to bring his temperament back up; she had done that a lot in the time she'd stayed by him. This most recent time brought all those occurrences back to Jin's mind, and after reliving all of those events, he didn't know how he didn't realize them earlier. Feeling compelled now, Jin knew he need to say something to her. Still, he was amazed that even amongst all the gloom, Xiaoyu still managed to be as cheerful as ever, and give such a positive answer to his grim question.

Jin then commented with a smirk, "You haven't changed a bit, Xiao; you're still as optimistic and naïve as ever."

Surprised and a little offended by the comment, Xiaoyu asked as she placed her hands on her hips in slight irritation, "Hey? What's that's supposed to mean?"

Sensing her starting to get up in arms, Jin peacefully eased her, "Calm down; it was a compliment."

Suddenly, as Xiaoyu relaxed, letting her arms down by her side, Jin found his words beginning to run like a river through his mind. There were things he wanted to say, and some things he suspected, but nonetheless things that need to be said lest he burst from internal pressure. Not able (or really wanting) to hold the overflow of thoughts inside his head, Jin began to let the words come out.

"Asuka-chan helped me a lot, but," Jin began as his tone changed to one more thankful and sincere, "… It's your innocence, your purity of heart that I desperately need the most." His tone unchanging, Jin then began to ask question about things he suspected about Xiaoyu, "You never gave up on me, did you, even when you should have? And you defended me, even when there was no defense for me?"

Xiaoyu, with the words coming naturally to her, replied with a sympathetic and heartfelt pitch, "No, I didn't, and yes, I did. Jin-kun, I will _always _believe in you, and I will _always_ be beside you. As long as I'm with you, I will always be on your side, no matter what other people say, no matter what happens."

Jin had to take a minute to absorb what Xiaoyu had said. It was something he'd never really heard someone say to him before, and he knew Xiaoyu meant it. For some reason, he couldn't wrap his head around the idea; he couldn't figure out the reason why she would do that. At that moment, Jin remembered just what Xiaoyu said to him at Ground Zero, the exact words that she used to bring him back.

Inquiring further, Jin asked delicately, "And what you said to me back at Ground Zero … when this began … you meant it, didn't you, Xiao-chan?"

Xiaoyu paused for a moment, but not for the regular reason, uncertainty. She knew her answer; there was no question about it in her being. Still, anxiety clasped the words in her heart when Jin asked. Quickly, however, Xiaoyu pushed it away and reassured herself; she'd already said it once, and, based upon his speech, she figured Jin already knew it.

With a confident and genuine voice, Xiaoyu answered, "Yes, it's true. I always have, and I'm sure I always will."

Jin had to stop again to take in what Xiaoyu was saying, and just what it all meant. Suddenly, as everything Xiaoyu said and everything she did for him recently cascaded through his mind, as everything she had been to him suddenly registered, as he continued to look at her, Jin began to feel something slowly fill him that was unlike anything he'd felt before. This 'feeling' had actually been lingering within him for weeks, which was one of the reasons he sent her and Asuka away for a time; he partly figured that it would just pass, but not only had it not gone away but this time, it was more intense than it had been every time previous. Though he did his best to hide it, Jin suddenly felt anxious. His hands began shaking. His palms became clammy. His body abruptly felt as if someone lit a match inside his shirt. His stomach began flipping and spinning in his gut as if he were on a rollercoaster. His heart began throbbing and rapidly beating as if someone reached into his chest and grabbed it. Xiaoyu noticed something going on with Jin, but, oddly enough, she didn't feel it was something to be concerned about as if it were a good thing that was happening.

Deciding to push through, Jin began anxiously stumbling through what he wanted to say, "Well, Xiao-chan, I ... I think I'm … starting to…" Jin, his words failing him, then switched to an impromptu plan, "I want to … _give_ you something, but I'm not sure if I should … give it to you; I'm not sure if you'll like it."

Xiaoyu, figuring he was just nervous about giving her a gift, gave Jin a warm smile, and sweetly said to him, "Don't worry, Jin-kun; I bet I would like anything you gave me."

Jin's feelings just got more vivid after Xiaoyu said that. He wasn't surprised she said it, but it also meant that she was expecting it now. He hadn't calmed himself down enough to actually go through with his plan. Eventually, however, he knew he had to (and wanted to) go through with it, and worked up enough courage to do so.

"Okay; here goes," Jin said more for himself than for Xiaoyu.

Much to Xiaoyu's surprise, Jin came close to her, and gently held her hand in his. Going through with his plan, Jin lowered his head and affectionately pressed his lips onto hers. Xiaoyu shot her eyes wide open from shock, and just froze as the soft kiss continued. After what was only a flickering moment that seemed like forever, Jin pulled away, racked with apprehension over how Xiaoyu reacted, and almost seized up in embarrassment when he saw the stunned expression on her face. However, Xiaoyu's shock quickly gave way to rapture, and she gave him Jin a beaming smile. She had thought about this moment for a long time, but she never thought it would actually happen, and the fact that _Jin_ was the one who initiated it sent Xiaoyu into pure euphoria.

So ecstatic she could barely get her words out, Xiaoyu quietly and cheerfully exclaimed, "I knew I'd like it; I like it a lot."

Jin then did something even more surprising: glad that Xiaoyu accepted his advance, Jin actually smiled; he had smiled a number of times recently, but this smile was the first of its kind he'd had in years. It wasn't one of amusement, wasn't mocking, and didn't have a hint of being sinister at all; this was a smile of happiness, a product of elation; honestly, Jin hadn't felt this joyful since he was 13-years-old. Seeing him actually smile the way he did, Xiaoyu felt her heart leap within her chest, and now_ she_ was getting anxious. She'd never really seen him smile that way, but she knew she liked it.

Soon, Jin and Xiaoyu progressed their interaction further. Jin gently wrapped his arms around Xiaoyu's waist, bringing them even closer. Xiaoyu warmly placed her hands behind Jin's head, inviting what was coming next. The two locked eyes, brought their faces as close as they could, and engaged in another kiss; this one, however, was deep, intimate, extended, and passionate. It was beautiful and enjoyable; neither of them giving an inch and neither of them wanting to stop. Eventually, however, they had to come up for air.

Xiaoyu, subtlety asking if this meant what she thought it meant, whispered, "Together?"

Jin, understanding what Xiaoyu was asking, confirmed with a smile, "Together."

Right outside the door, Asuka silently cheered to herself. She had already finished talking to Det. Wulong, and was about to reenter the office when she saw Jin kiss Xiao the first time. Asuka quickly stopped herself, and began to watch them through a crack in the door. She had actually noticed Xiaoyu's admiration for Jin very early on, but she didn't know how Jin felt about Xiaoyu. Now, it was evident, and she was excited for them both. Asuka's smile and excitement grew even more as she continued to watch them get closer; she liked the idea of her friend and her cousin together.

Xiaoyu's elation barely fit in her body; luckily, she didn't have to hold it in. After taking a moment to breath, Jin and Xiaoyu came together and locked their lips together once again, engaging in another passionate kiss. For her, this was the vindication of all her work, determination, and loyalty; it meant that she was right to believe in Jin after all this time. As it related to Jin, this was a return to the person he was before everything happened, a revival of the contentment he had lost track of but he'd felt before. Although what they got out of it was different, though their roads to that moment were different, Jin and Xiaoyu were together, their hearts beating in sync and in tune.

--

The sixth King of Iron Fist Tournament had come to a close, and it brought many things to different people and what happened during it was still having an impact. Lee Chaolan finally got on upper hand on someone he'd been fighting with for most of his life. Lili Rochefort and Hwoarang blurred their lines between rival and friend, and slowly saw their counterparts more of the latter than the former. Asuka had earned back her family's honor, and managed to unite her family once again. Jin had returned to his former self, and felt things he hadn't felt in years and some he had never felt before. Xiaoyu proved herself strong enough make seemingly impossible things come true, and vindicated herself, everything, and everyone she believed in. Alone, they were strong, but together, they were now mighty. As one unit, with everyone of them doing their part, the heart of Mishima G Incorporated willed the world toward a brilliant future.

The Beginning…

_**A/N:**_** Thank you to everyone who read my story, and, for further comments and a special question, please see the 'Credits' chapter.**


	12. Alternate Ending

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken _

_**A/N: **_**Just like the title says, this is an alternate ending to the story. This is not considered the true ending; it's just a different view that walked up and slapped me in the head while I was writing the ending. Also, I must warn you: there is a disturbing, graphic scene inside, so reader's discretion is advised. Anyway, I hope you like it, and that it moves you. While you ponder that, please enjoy. **

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: Where Souls and Hearts Clash

Alternate Ending: Tragedy for Salvation

_**Shattered Hearts **_

Soon, Devil Jin stopped struggling, and Asuka slowly let him go, quickly backing up next to Xiaoyu. Devil Jin, with his back to the two young women, actually seemed relatively calm as he landed in silence. Suddenly, after a few moments, as he turned around to face them, Devil Jin let out a creepy, hysterical, manic, and high-pitched laugh. With that, he went into a frenzy and began to attack them both.

Though he'd already fought three times, Devil Jin fought fiercely, and, since Xiaoyu and Asuka had expended a lot of energy getting to Ground Zero, they didn't have much fight left. In spite of that however, Asuka retaliated with very little evident effect, but Xiaoyu, though she managed to dodge and help Asuka escape danger several times, didn't attack at all. She was still in shock over the situation she was in; this really wasn't what she'd expected her first meeting with Jin after so much time would be like. She never imagined he would actually attack her not to mention so fiercely. She was in utter, speechless disbelief at this possessed Jin.

Asuka, seeing Xiaoyu's apprehension, tried to snap her out of it saying, "Xiao-chan, I could use some help here."

Xiaoyu stammered in an almost petrified tone, "I … I can't."

Asuka could only reply, "Xiao …"

Before Asuka could say anything else, Devil Jin grabbed her by the jaw as he flew up into the air. Asuka barely had time to realize he was flying up before he began flying back to the ground. With Asuka at his mercy, Devil Jin slammed her to the ground with the added momentum and force of the descent, executing a 'Heaven's Door' and incapacitating her for the moment. He then slowly turned his attention to Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu had no choice now; she was alone. Summoning some strength from the deepest parts of her soul, Xiaoyu reaffirmed herself; she hadn't come this far to give up on Jin now. She knew she couldn't fight him, but she knew she could reach him. This wasn't the real Jin, but he was still there somewhere; Xiaoyu could feel it. As Devil Jin slowly made his way to her, Xiaoyu began trying to reach the real Jin.

"I'm not going to fight, Jin-kun," Xiaoyu said sympathetically.

Like a pistol's bullet to the armor of a tank, the comment seemed to just bounced off of Devil Jin with no effect as he came charging at her. Devil Jin began to viciously attack, but, just as she'd done all tournament, Xiaoyu began to 'stance around' his offense, using her multiple stances and maneuvers to dodge everything he threw at her with agility and some effort.

As she continued to avoid his strikes, Xiaoyu continued in an equally sympathetic manner, "I know this isn't you; you're better this."

Unlike the first comment, this one seemed to get through. Devil Jin hesitated for a moment, and he slowed down considerably, but he still kept attacking. His decrease in speed however made it easier for Xiaoyu to dodge him, and thus allowing her to focus more attention of getting through to him.

Encouraging him, Xiaoyu appealed to Jin, "Jin-kun, you have to stop this. You have to fight it."

Devil Jin then stopped seemingly to size Xiaoyu up, but the look on his face was as if he were listening. Though she didn't know it was happening, Xiaoyu was succeeding; she was breaking through. The real Jin that the Devil inside had locked up months ago had begun to stir because of her words. Somehow, he heard her and began to struggle to break free. This caused Devil Jin to freeze up, clutched by a sudden case of indecision.

Xiaoyu continued, further reaching for him, "You can break this. I know you can defeat this; I know you can. I know you're still in there; I know you're still good inside. I'm right here with you, Jin-kun; I believe in you."

This one rang loud and clear, and, just like before, the chains around Jin loosened. As such, Jin had a reaction similar to a panic attack just as painful as before. Devil Jin began to hold his head in pain, gnash his teeth together, and his skin turned paler than usual. Not sure what was happening but knowing she caused something to occur, Xiaoyu slowly started to approach Devil Jin. For a brief second, the real Jin gained control long enough to wonder about something.

" … Xiao" Jin choked out as if wondering if it was really her.

A smile crossed Xiaoyu's face, but it quickly disappeared. Devil Jin quickly seized control again, but continued to feign as if still struggling. Xiaoyu, not aware of the ruse, continued to approach Devil Jin, and, when she got close, he sprung his trap. Devil Jin attacked unexpectedly with an uppercut that Xiaoyu barely dodged at the last second but still sent her stumbling backwards, and then shot a laser beam right at her feet, knocking her to the ground. As she tried to regain herself and her footing, Devil Jin began charging right at her.

Just as Xiaoyu turned back to Devil Jin, he was in range and attacked. At the last possible second, Asuka, who just recovered, jumped right between the two, taking the spinning kick, the first hit of his 'Hell Spiral'. Devil Jin followed through by attacking with the second hit, a backhanded strike that knocked Asuka aside, and completed the combination with a straight forward kick that hit home, finally connecting with Xiaoyu and knocking her to the ground. With her at his mercy now, Devil Jin slowly but firmly grasped Xiaoyu by the neck, and effortlessly lifted her to her feet. Not wasting time and with no desire to continue the encounter any further, Devil Jin prepared to strike her with a final blow, but he forgot about Asuka.

With her whole body now covered in a white aura, Asuka grabbed Devil Jin from behind, and tried to subdue him with a Kata Ha Jime, wrapping one arm around his neck, the other around his free arm, and locking her fingers. Though she succeeded in taking Devil Jin by surprise, Asuka quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to stop his next strike; despite her holding him with all her strength, his arm slowly but surely raised and aimed right at Xiaoyu, and his hand still straightened to the shape of a knife-edge especially dangerous considering his long, talon-like nails. The recognition then hit that since she couldn't stop Devil Jin, Xiaoyu was in all likelihood finished. A single tear formed in the corner of Asuka's eye, and slowly rolled down her cheek as she conceded that not only had she truly failed her family but she also let down her newest friend. Though she continued to hold on with all her power, Asuka closed her eyes, not willing to see Xiaoyu pay with her life.

Xiaoyu's mindset was even more distraught. As she looked at Devil Jin, there was very little doubt in her mind that she had lost. She had fought for the longest time to see Jin again, to help the real Jin she befriended long ago, and now that he was right in front of her, she concluded that she hadn't really aided him at all. This was still the same Jin that the world knew and hated. Above all else, this Jin felt cold, with no hint of compassion, decency, or good in sight, completely opposite of the Jin she knew. Even at _that_ moment, Xiaoyu knew the real Jin, her Jin, was still there, but, after doing everything in her power to reach him, he was still nowhere in view. Crushed by this 

turn of events, Xiaoyu could only close her eyes to escape this tragic sight, conceding to defeat and reserving herself to what was coming next.

In an unspoken apology, Xiaoyu pleaded for forgiveness, thinking, "_I'm sorry; I'm so sorry, Jin-kun. I guess … I wasn't strong enough to save you. Please … forgive me."_

Brokenhearted in the truest sense of the word, Xiaoyu couldn't help but break into tears as she accepted her impending death. Believing her life was about to end at _his_ hands, she decided to confess herself. In her waning moments, Xiaoyu was going to reveal her one secret, the one thing she'd been harboring since she first met him years ago, her own personal 800-pound gorilla that hovered over her every time she was with him. She had held it in long enough, and she now lamented she hadn't said something earlier. Maybe if she did, then… Still, it was too late. Belatedly as it was, Xiaoyu believed it needed to be said, and thusly calmed herself enough to form words.

Speaking from her heart, Xiaoyu began to confess in a dejected whisper just loud enough to be heard, "I know I never got a chance to tell you, but I …"

Not waiting to hear the rest, Devil Jin began to strike; Asuka braced herself for what was sure to be a sick impact, and mustered every ounce of strength in her body to try to stop him, but to no avail. Like a hot knife through butter, Devil Jin's attack struck, entered, and passed through Xiaoyu's abdomen. As expected and feared, the blow brought an eruption of blood out of her lower back along with Devil Jin's arm. A spray of the thick, red liquid escaped Xiaoyu's mouth shortly thereafter with the force akin to water from a fire hose. Words could not describe how horrible the pain was; the hurt was so severe and quick that Xiaoyu couldn't even let out a cry in response. Asuka, feeling blood land on her arm and not willing to see, just kept holding on to Devil Jin. Finally, after a moment, Devil Jin withdrew his hand from his victim, causing her to slump forward. Rapidly dying and even after all that, Xiaoyu pushed through with the last of her confession, the final words she would ever speak.

"… _I love you_," Xiaoyu admitted with her dying breath.

Devil Jin immediately released his hold on her, allowing her body to rest on his. Though forlorn and with no intent really behind it, Xiaoyu's revelation had worked better than any attempt before it. With those three sincere, heartfelt words, Xiaoyu had formed an instant connection, the one connection to another's spirit that bypasses all bonds and restraints, the connection to a person's heart. Xiaoyu had reached Jin with a link that the Devil inside couldn't even touch. Meanwhile, Asuka was still funneling her power into Jin, but now, using the direct link to him, the power began channeling into the part of his spirit that was the real Jin. Then, with these things as a catalyst, something very strange that was nothing short of miraculous happened…

--

_In a moment, in a single instance, the laden, spiritual strength that had been lying dormant within Jin's soul awoke with a divine reverberation. The chains and restraints placed around it, keeping it from spreading, shattered and fell away, broken with ease. Unbridled, the now-present Angel burst from its prison, scattering its light, Jin's light, throughout Jin's spirit and dispersing the evil that had settled there over time. The Devil inside that grasped influence over Jin for so long still clung to its control, but, with the strength of three sources, three spirits, three hearts, the Angel decisively ended his reign. And the entity once known as Devil Jin drowned in an ocean of holy light until he was but a horrible but very distant memory. For what seemed like the longest time, Jin was haunted by a curse, one placed upon him by the sins of his fathers, but now, thanks to his most spiritually-strong family member and the one person able to connect to his heart unabated, he finally accessed his own power, tapping into the blessing placed upon him by the gift of his mother._

_--_

At that moment, every single sign of Devil Jin except for the wings disappeared, but the damage had been done; what should have been a joyous moment was now one utter tragedy. Just as she said she would, Xiaoyu had paid the ultimate price. Jin awoke to the traumatizing sight of Xiaoyu's cold, empty brown eyes staring off into nothing, her mouth and chin viciously defiled by crimson water staining them, her dead body resting on him, and himself covered in her blood including his arm which struck the coup de grace. As Asuka let go and backed away, Jin slowly fell to his knees with Xiaoyu in his arms, and his real anguish set instantly. Not trying to hold it back, tears began to flow freely from Jin's eyes, and, after one shallow breath, Jin let out a heartbroken, distraught, inconsolable scream of heartache that resonated throughout the whole island.

Just like they had during the whole tournament, the surroundings seemed to react to what was happening, and seemed to echo the sorrow of the moment. A slow, somber wind gently drifted through the area, as if emphasizing the coldness of that moment. The trees swayed slowly underneath the breeze, seemingly hanging low out of sadness. Finally, all the lightning above in the clouds ceased, but the storm clouds themselves remained, and even seemed to get darker. Then, there was one more lightning bolt, one deep and low in sound as if it were a rumble of grief, and, after teetering on the edge for so long, the storm clouds broke slightly, releasing a drizzle of rain.

Asuka, finally opened her eyes, and saw Jin holding Xiaoyu on the ground, his upper body hung over top of her, his shoulders slowly trembling. Knowing what had happened but still hoping inside that there was even a glimmer of a chance that it was all just a nightmare, she slowly approached the two, and stopped beside Jin. Immediately, Asuka witnessed the violent scene, the tragic point of impact, the catastrophic damage done, and, for really the first time in her life, she felt the tremendous force of life that was close to oneself lost. Unable to saying anything, Asuka fell to her knees, unable to take her eyes off her fallen friend, and immediately began to cry fervently, her sobs full of sorrow. At that moment, the clouds broke freely, and rain began heavily pouring down 

upon them, drenching the three of them; just like the two cousins were doing, the world itself was even crying in mourning.

--

_**In Your Honor and Loving Memory**_

Silent and despondent, Jin was walking through a particular cemetery at twilight, carrying a large bouquet of different flowers. He had visited this particular memorial park an extreme number of times recently, and every time it came to do so, he didn't want to leave. Soon, he came upon the reason why. Jin finally stopped at specific gravestone, and, just as he did every time he came to it, he silently ran over in his mind the beautifully-chiseled name in elegant script with the two angels on either side: _**Ling Xiaoyu.**_ As expected, the assortment of flowers he left the last time were dead now, so he removed the dry stems and placed the new collection in their place. Finally, Jin sat next to the stone memorial, facing where the coffin had been lowered into the ground. Also, like he had done on every visit, Jin began to speak to his departed friend, as if she were sitting right next to him, hoping that she could somehow hear him, and let it out with a diverse myriad of emotions; pain, guilt, remorse, sadness heartbreak, and almost every negative emotion connected to sorrow filled and drenched his every word:

"Hi, Xiao-chan. Everything in the business is going well. The merge with G Corporation went off without a hitch, and progress is already being made. Everything is going according to plan, and it looks like I'm actually starting to make things right. The business is looking good; I just wish things were going as well personally, but I know there is one thing I will never make right.

Not many people know, but those who do are still mourning. Asuka says she understands and that she forgives me but you can tell she still hasn't forgotten. I already told you that Miharu slapped me and spit in my face when she found out that you were dead because of me. Well, she still hasn't talked to me or even looked at me since then. I don't think she'll ever forgive me, and I don't blame her. Why should she forgive me? I definitely don't forgive myself.

Xiao-chan, sorry doesn't even begin to express how I feel. You were the only person who still believed me. You didn't give up on me even when everyone else did, even when you should have. You defended me even when there was no defense for me, even when I gave you no reason to. You were always by my side, no matter what and how do I repay you? I put you in this grave. It's my fault…"

Jin paused as he tried to hold back more tears, but, just like every other time, this attempt was all too futile. As he buried his face in his hands, he silently wept bitterly, feeling more alone than any other time in his life 

except for _one_ other time when he was 13. Like a torrent of rain or the rush of a flood, Jin was powerless to stop the flow of emotion, and so, simply let the surge run its course. After several minutes, Jin was able to compose himself, and slowly began to speak, this time with even more of the same emotions as the first time:

"They say that you never know what you have until you lose it, but, now that I have, I find out that I've … lost almost everything. I would give _anything_ to have you back; even if it meant my life, I would not hesitate to do it. I know that doesn't mean much now, but I just needed to say that. I also regret not spending more time with you and not giving you the attention you deserved; I shouldn't have ignored you the way I did, but now I'll never get the chance to do either."

Jin, by chance, glanced at her name on the headstone another time, and noticed a red smudge next to it. He remembered placing the symbol there, but it had faded over the short time he was gone. Carefully to not kneel directly on top of the grave, Jin maneuvered closer to the stone, and positioned himself right in front of the mark. He then raised his hand, and tore off the bandage on the back of it. For a moment, he stared at the long horizontal scar sitting there; because of his increased power, his wounds healed much faster than normal, but this scar remained mostly because he had reopened this wound numerous times. In truth, he had inflicted the slash himself to serve a particular purpose in tribute to Xiaoyu; the pain was nothing compared to the one inside.

Jin slowly reopened the cut, the pain not even registering to him, and then quickly pulled out a small brush; he had to work quickly before it closed up again. He dipped the brush into the open gash, covering it in red, and began redrawing the symbol next to Xiaoyu's name. After several deft strokes, he dipped the brush into the wound again, gathering more of his 'paint', and started where he left off. The process went on several more times until Jin was finally done. He moved a back to see, and observed with slight satisfaction the perfectly-drawn red Kanji character 'Ai'. Jin continued to stare at it all, the grave, the stone, the character, her name when suddenly his phone began to vibrate. Annoyed by the disturbance, Jin angrily pulled out the device with a grunt, and saw that it was an alarm he had set: it was time for him to leave again.

"I'm sorry, Xiao-chan, but I must go; I wish I didn't have to though," Jin apologized.

Slowly, Jin lifted himself to his feet, and, as he again began to stare at her grave, his now white-feathered wings unfurled from his back. Finally, as night began to fall, Jin turned and started to walk away, but he stopped to say one last thing.

"I know it's too late to tell you this, but," Jin confessed as he took one last glance at Xiaoyu, "… I love you too."

With that, Jin turned back around, stretched out his wings, and took off into the night sky. Just then, the clouds parted, and a beam of moonlight slowly washed over the grave and the flowers placed beneath them. Among the arrangement was a single moonflower, one of Xiaoyu's favorites. As the light hit it, the closed bud gradually unfolded and opened up, revealing its nocturnal beauty. Just then, a single white feather, one of Jin's, floated gracefully to the ground where it landed gently next to the moonflower. As this physical metaphor signified, even though Jin had bodily left, his heart remained where that feather landed: right next to her.

The End

_**A/N: **_** Well, that was the alternate ending. I hope it wasn't too sad, and that you liked it. Before I go, I have a couple of things to point out. Okay, that is all, and please refer to the 'Credits' chapter for further comments. I sincerely thank you again for reading, and again I hope you come to read more from me. Please R&R, as always, Rant, Rave, Review, and God Bless you. **

**Notes:**

'**Ai' means 'love' in Japanese.**

**This chapter was partially influenced by and written along to Breaking Point's 'Goodbye to You', and 3 Doors Down's 'Here Without You'.**


	13. Credits

_Disclaimer: I don't own Tekken_

_**A/N:**_** I must give credit to whom credit is due.**

The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: Where Souls and Hearts Clash

Credits

**Soundtrack: ** (songs that story was written along to)

Coldplay's _'Viva la Vida or Death and All of his Friends'_ album

Yellowcard's '_Paper Walls_' album

Yoko Shimomura _'The Force in You'_

Clint Mansell _'Lux Aeterna'_

Bump of Chicken _'Karma Instrumental'_

Matrix Reloaded OST _'Burly Brawl'_

Yoko Shimomura _'XIII Anthology'_

Daughtry _'There and Back Again'_

Rihanna _'Disturbia'_

P.O.D. _'Sleeping Awake'_

Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection_ 'Hall of Fate Remastered'_

**Starring:**

Ling Xiaoyu

Asuka Kazama

Jin Kazama

Kazuya Mishima

Zafina

Lee Chaolan

Lili Rochefort

Hwoarang

Anna Williams

Leo Kliesen

**Guest Starring:**

Heihachi Mishima

Miguel Caballero Rojo

Feng Wei

Paul Phoenix

Marshall Law

Nina Williams

Eddy Gordo

Christie Monteiro

Lei Wulong

Steve Fox

**Notes: **

Jin's quote in the prologue is from Breaking Benjamin's 'Blow Me Away' off of the Halo 2 soundtrack.

Jin's quote from chapter 3 is from Raul Julia's M. Bison from Street Fighter: The Movie

From chapter 5, a J-pop idol is a Japanese girl who sings pop music;

A gravure idol is Japanese girl that models different outfits including swimwear and lingerie but never does nude shots;

Finally, a nekomusume means 'cat-girl' or 'cat-daughter'. It normally refers to a girl with cat-like features such as cat ears, cat eyes, and/or a cat's tail. The characterization and usage of nekomusumes is a staple in anime and manga.

This is an explanation of the Xiao vs. Xiao-chan in Jin's speech: The –chan honorific is used for a female whom one has a connection whether it be blood or emotional; that's why Jin refers to Asuka as Asuka-chan, because they are cousins. However, if someone is a just a friend, the honorific isn't entirely necessary, which is why Jin simply refers to Xiaoyu as just Xiao in the beginning. The honorific is used, 

however, to refer a female to whom one has an emotional connection with. Basically, that means that when Jin referred to Xiaoyu as Xiao-chan for the first time, he was beginning to develop an emotional connection to her.

**In Loving Memory:**

Isaac Hayes

Bernie Mac

Heath Ledger

ReturnableMemory

**Special Thanks to:**

**Divinely Ethereal**

**Sei Honou **

**Psychoblue**

**TJSC25**

**LT Shai**

**Raidenlover6**

**SuperKayJin**

**Uppgreyedd**

**Marychanel **

**Star Anise**

**FeiFeiKara**

**All those who visited and read this story**

**-Special Request- **I am currently working on a sequel to this story. I would greatly appreciate it if you all could let me know any of your thoughts on it. Do you think I should go forward with it? Would you like it if I did? Would you be excited in any way if I did? Any feedback is welcome, and you don't have to message me to let me know. Please just put it into your review.

**Final Thoughts:**

I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you that read this story of mine. I didn't know that the story would get the attention that it did, and it's all because of all of you that gave it a chance. I appreciate the time, attention, and opinions you shared with me; I hope I was able to entertain and give some enjoyment. Until next time, I genuinely wish that you come back and read more from me, and may God bless you.


End file.
